After 10 p.m. on 16 October 2026, security guards on duty at Ramna Park in Dhaka detained three people on suspicion of homosexuality. One of those held was Muntasir Rahman, who was detained first, together with his friend Sulaiman, and questioned by the guards. During the questioning, Muntasir asked why he had been detained and was told that he was being held on suspicion of homosexuality. He protested. When the guards insisted on taking him to the police, he denied the allegation and refused to go. “This is a park. Everyone can come here, and one person can talk with another. This is not a crime,” he told them. The situation then grew tense.
Muntasir phoned several influential people in government, with whom he had taken part in the July 2024 mass uprising, and asked for their help. They did not assist him. Several journalists were then informed. After a prominent journalist contacted the guards about the matter, the guards, who could not give a satisfactory answer, released Muntasir. Sulaiman, however, remained in detention. Frightened, he tried to run away, and one of the guards fell on the road and was injured while trying to catch him. The guards became angrier and continued to hold him. Sulaiman asked them to release him, saying that they could take their revenge by physically torturing him if they wished. Three more people were detained at the park that night. Sulaiman could not be traced the following day. What happened to him that night is not known, and it has not been possible to contact him since.
On 17 October, Muntasir and lawyers made enquiries at Ramna Police Station. According to the police, three people were sent to court the same day. There, one person was sentenced to three days in jail on the allegation of homosexuality. The affected person was not told under which law the sentence was imposed.
Source: documentation by LGBTIQ Phobia Monitoring BD, based on information from the affected persons and follow-up with lawyers and Ramna Police Station.
