Over 200 BNP Men Held, Face Raids-Harassments

Over 200 leaders and activists of the main opposition Bangladesh National Party were arrested as the party activists accused police of harassment during checking and overnight raids in the capital city ahead of the rally on Wednesday (October 18).

One of the arrested was BNP organising secretary and former deputy minister Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu, who was sent to jail by a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate after his arrest in a case lodged with Badda police station over alleged subversive activities.

Eleven others arrested in the same case were placed on two-day remand by magistrate Md Ali Haider.

Police had sought five-day remand for each, including Dulu, who was arrested by the Detective Branch of the police at his Gulshan residence around midnight on Tuesday.

The 11 remanded accused are Bhola Juba Dal president Jamal Uddin, organising secretary Monir Hossain, Abir Islam, Md Taj Mohammad Khan Mamun, Md Shimul Biswas, Md Sohel, Md Mostak Hossain Munna, Abdul Mannan Sheikh Babu, Maksudur Rahman, Golam Mostafa, and Shahinur Rahman.

BNP said that police carried out raids at residential hotels and apartments at Naya Paltan and adjacent areas to arrest BNP leaders and activists.

The party activists alleged they were obstructed on their way to the Naya Paltan rally.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, during his speech at the Naya Paltan rally, alleged that over 250 leaders and activists of the party were arrested ahead of the rally.

He said that police had been carrying out raids and arrests regularly days before BNP’s rally.

A senior officer of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police told press that 202 BNP leaders and activists had been arrested in the capital since Tuesday on charges of subversive activities.

BNP leaders and activists alleged that they faced police obstruction and arrests while entering Dhaka to attend the party rally.

Police checked BNP activists’ cell phones, stopped vehicles carrying them, and forced many not to attend the rally.

Munshiganj district unit Chhatra Dal president Abu Hashem said that police checked their buses bound for the rally and arrested five activists from Srinagar.

He said that police had checked cell phones to find their BNP links and inquired about their destination.

Many activists were forced to get out of the buses. They had to walk long distances to attend the rally, Hashem said.

Juba Dal activists and construction worker Md Hasan said that they started their journey from Basila on buses to attend the rally in the morning.

‘I did not carry a cell phone since the police checked it for BNP connection. Police stopped our bus before Basila Bridge, searched everyone and their cell phones, and delayed the bus for over an hour,’ said Hasan.

Asked about allegations of politically motivated arrests, DMP spokesperson and deputy commissioner Faruk Hossain said that they did not conduct any politically motivated raids.

People who face specific charges are being arrested, and police checkpoints and checking are part of their routine work for security, he claimed.

Police have also set up checkpoints at Dhamrai, Amin Bazar, and Savar since the morning and checked most of the vehicles and pedestrians to find their BNP links, alleged the party supporters.

Dhaka district police additional superintendent Abdullah Hil Kafi claimed that the checkpoints were part of their regular operations.