BartaBangla Report :: Secretary of a rightwing human rights organisation Odhikar, Adilur Rahman Khan Suvhro has been arrested for allegedly distorting facts about the May 5 police drive against Hifazat-e Islam activists at Dhaka’s Motijheel area.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson Masudur Rahman has confirmed about the arrest.

Suvhro, a close associate of Amar Desh Acting Editor Mahmudur Rahaman-who was also arrested under Information and Technology Act- was arrested on Saturday night.

Nasriudin Elan, Director of Odhikar, told reporters that a team of detective police picked up Suvhro while he was entering his Gulshan residence around 10pm.

The arrestee was the Deputy Attorney General during the erstwhile four-party alliance government. He allegedly has a close link with Jamaat-e-Islami.

Odikhar in one of its recent reports claimed 61 people were killed in the police drive on that fateful night on May 5.

BNP and its key ally Jamaat had alleged that Motijheel had experienced ‘a mass-murder’ on that night. The government, however, dismissed the claims as rumours. DMP itself said the drive had ‘zero causalities’.

The government, on last month, sent a letter to the organisation seeking proof of what it had mentioned in the report.The Information Minister letter sought full names and addresses of those ‘61’ people. “The dailies said not more than 16 people were killed in the drive but the Odhikar report put the number at 61,” the letter said.

Meanwhile, main Opposition BNP has condemned the arrest.

Party’s Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has issued a press statement demanding Suvhro’s immediate release.

“The detectives have arrested Suvhro in the darkness of night. This is a matter of concern. It reflects government’s despotic attitude,” Fakhrul said in the statement.

He believes the arrest is nothing but “a part of government conspiracies”