Mother of detained quota protester rejects authorities' safety claims

Momtaz Begum, the mother of Nahid Islam, one of the five coordinators of the quota reform movement detained by the Detective Branch over the weekend, has dismissed the official narrative that her son and his fellow leaders were taken into custody for their own safety.

Speaking to reporters near the DB headquarters on Minto Road on Sunday afternoon, Momtaz demanded her son's immediate release. She and other parents had arrived at the DB office to meet their children but were denied entry. Frustrated, they shared their grievances with the media.

"We do not believe our sons were brought to the DB office for their own safety," Momtaz stated, highlighting the lack of communication from the authorities. "I want my son returned to us. We want every child returned to their respective parents."

Momtaz recounted a previous incident where Nahid was forcibly taken from a friend's house and tortured. While he was still recovering from those injuries, he was once again detained along with two others. "We could not even meet Nahid at the DB office," she lamented, expressing deep concern for the children's well-being.

Despite reassurances from the detectives, Momtaz remains unconvinced. Nahid's recent ordeal, which saw him picked up by plainclothes officers, held at an undisclosed location, and brutally tortured, has only deepened her fears. Nahid was discovered unconscious on a roadside and subsequently hospitalized with severe bruises on his thigh, arms, and shoulder.

"Why would they bring Nahid here? His physical condition was poor when he was taken from the hospital," Momtaz questioned, demanding transparency and the safe return of her son and his fellow detainees.