Dhaka — May 19, 2017 (early hours): An elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) unit raided a community centre in Ati Bazar, Keraniganj around 3:00am and detained at least 27 men on suspicion of taking part in what officers called a “homosexual party.” Most detainees were students under 30 who had travelled from multiple districts and kept in touch via social media, according to RAB-10 Commander Zahangir Hossain Matobbar. RAB said it recovered 45 yaba tablets and about 250g of marijuana during the operation and later handed the men over to police.
There were conflicting tallies in initial reports: international outlets cited 27 arrests, while local coverage reported 28 detainees. Authorities indicated the men might not face “unnatural intercourse” charges under Penal Code 377 because they were detained before any sexual activity was observed, but said narcotics charges were likely. Local reporting added that residents had complained about the group’s periodic gatherings and that a drug case was opened after the handover to police. The Dhaka Tribune noted it could not independently verify several claims made by RAB.
The raid occurred amid a hostile climate for LGBTQ+ people in Bangladesh. In April 2016, Roopbaan co-founder Xulhaz Mannan and theatre activist Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy were hacked to death in Dhaka—an attack later claimed by an al-Qaeda–linked group—underscoring the risks faced by activists.
Source:
DW News — “Bangladesh arrests 27 men for ‘homosexuality’” (May 19, 2017): DW
Dhaka Tribune — “28 suspected homosexuals detained from Keraniganj” (May 19, 2017): Dhaka Tribune
The Washington Post — “Police just arrested 27 men ‘for homosexuality’ in Bangladesh” (May 19, 2017): The Washington Post
