Former minister among 16 arrested in Bangladesh for allegedly plotting to topple interim government

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) – Sixteen people were arrested in Bangladesh, including former minister Abdul Latif Siddique, on charges of plotting to topple the current interim government, local media reported on Friday.

Siddique, 87, a former Bangladesh Awami League politician, and the other 15 were detained on Thursday when they were attending a meeting at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU), a journalists' association, during which they claimed that political parties such as Jamaat-Shibir and the National Citizens' Party (NCP) were conspiring to "throw away the country's Constitution," according to the Prothom Alo newspaper.

During the discussion, people surrounded and heckled the group, accusing them of being Awami League loyalists.

All the accused were charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act on Friday.

Following a student-led uprising, the Awami League's longtime leader and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from office and fled India in August of last year, prompting the formation of an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.

Following a UN report estimating 1,400 deaths in the uprising, the Yunus government banned Awami League activities.