Mahdi Hasan, district member secretary of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Habiganj, was released on bail on Sunday morning after a local court granted him bail on a Tk 200 bond.
Mahdi was produced before the Habiganj Judicial Magistrate’s Court on January 4, where Magistrate Abdul Mannan approved his bail petition following a brief hearing. He was released within nearly 15 hours of his arrest.
Earlier at around 7:20am, police brought Mahdi to the court from Habiganj Sadar Model Police Station. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted him bail.
Arrest and Case Details According to police sources, Mahdi Hasan was detained on Saturday evening around 7:00pm from a residence in the Shayestanagar area of Habiganj town. Later, he was shown arrested in a case filed at Shayestaganj Police Station on charges of obstructing police duties and threatening public officials.
The case was filed by Sub-Inspector Jahirul Islam of Shayestaganj Police Station, naming Mahdi as the prime accused along with at least 20 unnamed individuals. Senior lawyer Abdul Majid confirmed the matter.
Background Mahdi Hasan serves as the member secretary of the Habiganj district unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. He is a first-year undergraduate student at Habiganj Brindaban Government College and a resident of the Bhadail (Bhadai) area of Habiganj Sadar upazila.
Tension Outside Police Station
Following news of his detention, leaders and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement gathered in front of Habiganj Sadar Model Police Station demanding his release.
To prevent any untoward situation, members of the army, RAB, and addilional police forces were deployed in the area.
Viral Video and Controversy
Police and local sources said that on Friday afternoon, Mahdi had an altercation with Shayestaganj Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge, Abul Kalam, while attempting to secure the release of Enamul Hasan Nayan—a July Movement activist and former Chhatra League leader.
During the incident, a video of Mahdi making threatening remarks against the administration inside the police station went viral on social media, triggering widespread criticism across the country.
In the video, Mahdi is heard saying,
“Through the July Movement, we formed the government. You are part of our administration.”
At one point, he also allegedly said,
“We burned down Banichong Police Station, and we set fire to SI Santosh.”The video sparked strong reactions in political and social circles.Shahbagh Blockade Demanding Mahdi’s release, leaders and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement blocked Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka from 10:30pm to around 12:15am on Saturday night.
During the blockade, the organisation’s president, Rifat Rashid, placed two demands, including Mahdi’s unconditional release and the removal of the concerned police officer.
The situation eased after the court granted Mahdi bail on Sunday morning. Lawyers and Police Speak Mahdi’s lawyer, MA Majid, said the allegations against his client were bailable offences. Mahdi was produced before Senior Judicial Magistrate Court-3 around 8:30am, where the judge granted bail after hearing.
Habiganj Court Police Inspector Aminul Islam said Mahdi was produced in connection with a case filed for obstructing government duties and misbehaving with police officials. More than a hundred activists of the movement were present at the court premises during the hearing.
Mahdi’s Reaction In a video message released later in the afternoon, Mahdi Hasan described his controversial remarks as a “slip of the tongue” and urged people to consider the issue as an unintentional mistake.
