Pabna, Jan 03 (V7N) — Two leaders of the Awami League and its affiliated Labour League were arrested by the District Detective Branch (DB) Police on Friday afternoon after participating in the nomination scrutiny process in support of independent candidate Professor Abu Sayeed in the Pabna-1 constituency.

The arrests took place in front of the Pabna District Administration office shortly after the completion of the nomination verification proceedings. The detainees were identified as Sirajul Islam Pramanik, former mayor of Sathia Municipality and former general secretary of the municipal Awami League, and Shaheen Hossain, president of the Sathia Municipal Labour League.

Confirming the matter, Officer-in-Charge of Pabna DB Police Rashidul Islam said the two were arrested in connection with a case filed at Sathia Police Station. He added that they would be produced before the court following completion of legal formalities.

Professor Abu Sayeed, a former Awami League leader and former State Minister for Information, is contesting the upcoming parliamentary election as an independent candidate from Pabna-1, which comprises Sathia Upazila and parts of Bera Upazila.

A veteran politician, Abu Sayeed was a member of the committee that drafted Bangladesh’s 1972 Constitution. He also served as joint general secretary of BAKSAL under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and later held the post of information and research secretary of the Awami League under Sheikh Hasina.

He was elected from Pabna-1 in the 1996 general election and served as State Minister for Information in the Awami League government. During the political reforms period following the events of January 11, he was expelled from the party. He later contested and lost in the disputed general elections of 2014, 2018 and 2024. After joining Gano Forum, he contested the 2018 election as a BNP-backed candidate using the party’s electoral symbol. In the 2014 and 2024 elections, he ran as an independent candidate.

The arrests have drawn attention amid heightened political activity in Pabna as the country moves closer to the next parliamentary election.

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