Police arrested 18 members of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), including a leader, following a sudden procession in Cumilla city on Friday, officials said Saturday.
The arrests were made during joint raids conducted by the District Detective Branch (DB) and Kotwali Model Police Station from Friday night until Saturday morning.
The key detainee was identified as Kaiyum, son of Md. Zakir Hossain of Panchthubi union in Cumilla Sadar upazila.
According to police, BCL activists brought out a flash procession on the Nurpur-Telikona road in the city during Friday Juma prayer khutba. Police identified the participants by analyzing video footage of the incident.
Md. Touhidul Anwar, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kotwali Model Police Station, said Kotwali police detained 16 individuals while DB police arrested two.
Legal action is being taken against the arrestees, and they will be produced before a Cumilla court in the afternoon, the OC added.