Police picked up 75 persons, mostly outsiders, during precautionary raids on different dormitories of Dhaka University early yesterday in a bid to prevent violence on the New Year Eve.

Of them, 64 were shown arrested as they failed to produce valid papers for their stay in the dormitories while the rest were released.

Divided into separate groups, 11 platoons of police carried out the raids simultaneously on 12 dormitories, entering each room to check the identity cards and other necessary papers of the residents.

According to the Ramna police, they picked 23 persons from Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall, 17 from Surya Sen Hall, 11 from Sergeant Zahurul Haq Hall, 10 from Sir F Rahman Hall, eight from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, two from Haji Mohammad Mohsin Hall, and one each from Jagannath Hall and Salimullah Hall. They also raided Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall, Kobi Jasimuddin Hall, Amar Ekushe Hall and Sher-e-Bangla Fazlul Haq Hall.

The police said most of the arrestees are relatives of DU students residing in the dormitories and they came to Dhaka for taking part in admission tests at different educational institutions, treatment and visiting the capital.

The police released 11 after they produced valid papers of their studentship at the university. They sent the rest to the court under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ordinance for their “illegal stay” at

the dormitories, which they claimed they did not know, was illegal.

“We have shown them arrested under sections 84 and 100 of the DMP Ordinance,” the duty officer of the Ramna Police Station told The Daily Star yesterday evening.

BDNEWS adds: The members of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), student wing of the ruling BNP, obstructed the police at the Muktijoddha Ziaur Rahman Hall when the law enforcers wanted to search the room of its hall unit president.

However, after intervention of senior JCD leaders, the police were later able to carry out their duty. No one was arrested from the hall.

“The arrested are outsiders. No weapon or ammunition was recovered,” the news agency quoted Mahbubur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Ramna PS, as saying.

Meanwhile, some students alleged that the police were not sincere about raiding the rooms occupied by JCD activists.

The Ramna police also held 40 others from Babupura slum, Railway Hospital area, Dhaka Medical College and Hospital staff quarters, Nilkhet residential area, Aziz Super Market and the slum near Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, sources said.