Police arrested five people in Dhanmondi area after the Janaja  prater of Bangladesh Awami League leader and former minister Tofail Ahmed in the capital on Monday evening.

The first namaz-e-janaza of Tofail Ahmed, one of the key organisers of the Liberation War, was held at Takwa Mosque in Dhanmondi after Maghrib prayers.

Several former and current leaders of the party, including former ministers Latif Siddiqui and Saber Hossain Chowdhury, attended the funeral prayer. A large number of leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies also joined the janaza.

After the prayer, some activists surrounding the vehicle carrying the body chanted “Joy Bangla” slogans. Police of Dhanmondi Police Station intervened and detained several people to bring the situation under control.

Later, after the vehicle carrying the body left the area, police conducted an drive around nearby Dhanmondi Lake. Individuals present at different points around the lake were questioned, and several more people were detained over allegations of links with the Awami League.

Following interrogation, five people were arrested while the others were released.

Contacted, Sheikh Zahidul Islam of the DMP’s Ramna Division said a total of seven people had initially been detained. “After questioning, two were released and legal action will be taken against the remaining five,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Tofail Ahmed died at around 3:30pm while undergoing treatment at Square Hospital in Dhaka. He was 82.