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Published : 24 Jul 2026, 09:52 AM
Police have filed a chargesheet against 199 Ansar members over the protest outside the Secretariat, saying the investigation “found evidence” they obstructed police from carrying out their duties.
The investigating officer, however, did not find truth in allegations of "grievous hurt," meaning attempted murder.
Amid a wave of demonstrations by professional groups pressing the interim government to meet demands after the fall of the Awami League government, Ansar personnel took to the streets seeking the nationalisation of their jobs.
On Aug 25, 2024, they surrounded the Secretariat throughout the day over their demands.
That night, clashes broke out with students before police, joined by the students, dispersed the protesters.
Police later filed cases at four stations in Dhaka, including Shahbagh, naming 420 people and several thousand unidentified suspects.
Sub-Inspector Shamim Mir Malot of Shahbagh Police Station lodged the case on Aug 26 that year, accusing the protesters of holding an unlawful gathering and obstructing police duties “despite their demands having been accepted”.
The case also alleged assault, vandalism, and causing grievous injuries to officials and employees trapped inside the Secretariat.
It named 208 Ansar members as suspects, alongside another 2,000 to 3,000 unidentified members of the force.
After a 22-month investigation, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Inspector Mejbah Uddin Ahmed submitted the chargesheet to the court on Jun 30 against 199 Ansar members.
Of the 208 named in the first information report (FIR), nine names appeared twice.
Investigators recommended dropping two individuals, identified with single names Isan and Joynal, after failing to verify their identities and addresses.
As a result, the chargesheet includes all remaining accused.
Speaking to bdnews24.com, investigating officer Inspector Mejbah said the Ansar members had gathered outside the Secretariat and obstructed police from performing their duties even after their demands had been accepted.
"As the allegation of obstructing police duties has been established, we have submitted charges against 199 Ansar members. We found no truth in the allegations of causing grievous injuries or attempting murder.”
The chargesheet was placed before the court on Jul 13, when Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana reviewed it.
Shah Alam, a sub-inspector attached to the Prosecution Division, said the court has fixed Aug 18 to hear whether the chargesheet will be accepted.
According to the chargesheet, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 members of the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force began a rally outside the Secretariat at 9am on Aug 25, 2024, demanding improved benefits, fixed working hours and other facilities.
At one stage, 19 coordinators of the protesters held talks with the then home advisor of the interim government inside the Secretariat.
They were asked to end the rally after being given a timeframe to address their demands, but the demonstrators ignored the request and continued protesting, leaving officials and employees inside the Secretariat effectively confined, the chargesheet says.
It also says that around 9pm, police and the army jointly set up barricades on roads surrounding the Secretariat to stop the protesters.
The Ansar members allegedly attacked the joint force, obstructed them from carrying out their duties and set fire to parts of their own uniforms to create panic.
The joint force arrested 189 Ansar members from the scene.
The chargesheet also alleges that the protesters caused serious unrest around the Secretariat, outside the chief justice's residence, near the Chief Advisor's Office and near Gulistan Zero Point.
Under Section 353 of the Penal Code, obstructing a public servant from performing official duties carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison, a fine, or both if proven.
Section 147 provides for up to two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both for rioting.
Defence lawyer Suman Kumar Nandi said many of the Ansar members had since been made officers on special duty (OSD) and had only been pressing their demands.
"Charges have now been filed against them. At the hearing on framing of charges, we will seek their discharge. If the court discharges them, the case ends there.”
“If charges are framed, we will continue the legal fight to prove their innocence,” he added.
