Dhaka, Feb 24 (NationPress) During an anti-drug operation at Suhrawardy Udyan, several journalists, students from Dhaka University (DU), and a police officer sustained injuries, as reported by local media on Tuesday.

The operation, carried out on Monday evening by the Ramna Zone of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), resulted in the detention of approximately seven to eight individuals, with a deployment of around 60 to 70 police officers, according to the DMP Ramna Zone Deputy Commissioner (DC) Masud.

"Our primary aim today was not to make numerous arrests but to unsettle them," quoted a senior police official from the Dhaka Tribune.

The injured included Kawsar Ahmed Ripon, a reporter for Ajker Patrika; Tofayel Ahmed from Banglanews24; Nayem Uddin, a DU student; and a police constable.

Ripon stated that police initially attacked his colleague Tofayel, and he was also assaulted when he intervened.

"I rushed over to ask why they were attacking him, and when I spoke up, they confiscated my phone and began hitting me as well," Ripon recounted.

Footage revealed DU Anthropology student Nayem Uddin being assaulted by officers after a dispute.

Nayem explained that he and his friends were at the park discussing an event named "Bahu-Bhashar Sandhya" when they encountered the police while leaving.

"They found nothing on us. However, they claimed we had an argument with them. While we were still conversing, one officer suddenly seized me and dragged me away, beating me, and my friend who was with me was also attacked," he stated.

Nayem also alleged that police confiscated his phone and held him at the station for an extended period without allowing any contact with others.

In response to inquiries regarding the operation, DC Masud characterized it as a routine anti-drug initiative, according to the Dhaka Tribune.

"This is aimed at combating drugs. By 8 or 9 PM, the park is deserted, and these individuals sit in the dark. Such operations are conducted regularly; today's was just larger in scale," he explained.

Masud further indicated that a subgroup of 8-10 officers separated from the main team and encountered a gathering of DU students allegedly smoking marijuana, which led to confrontations after one student identified himself.

He noted that a sharp object was used to injure a constable above the eye during the operation, resulting in a deep wound.

Regarding the allegations against the journalists, Masud remarked that the officers were unaware one of the individuals was a journalist.

"We did not recognize him as a journalist because he had no visible press identification," he stated.

The journalists, however, disputed these claims, asserting that the assault was intentional.