DB pick up Moudud, MK Anwar, Rafiqul Islam Mia; Khaleda’s Gulshan office, residence cordoned off
The government has started a crackdown on the opposition BNP arresting its three stalwarts on Friday late evening. The BNP chairperson’s office and her residence in Gulshan area were also cordoned off by the police. The Detective Branch (DB) of police picked up the three BNP standing committee members – Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Mia – from in front of Hotel Sonargaon in the capital shortly after 8pm. They were taken to the DB office at Minto Road later and kept there till the filing of this report at 9:30pm.
DB sources said all of them were leaving the hotel after attending the founding anniversary programme of Bengali daily Prothom Alo at the hotel.
The main opposition party has been waging a movement to push for restoration of the non-party caretaker government system to oversee the next general election.
The BNP leaders were picked up hours after their party called a 72-hour non-stop hartal across the country from Sunday to press home their demand.
The hartal is the third of a series in less than two weeks. The party earlier enforced two bouts of 60-hour nationwide strike from Oct 26 and from November 4.
Bashir Ahmed, personal assistant of MK Anwar, told this reporter that a group of policemen picked up the BNP leader when he was coming out of the hotel.
Talking to The Independent, Assistant Commissioner of DB police Masudur Rahman said Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Mia were at the Minto Road office of DB.
Earlier, policemen – both uniformed and plainclothes – cordoned off the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s political office and residence around 3:30pm following the announcement of the 72-hour hartal.
However, police have said that the measures have been taken to beef up security in the residence and office of the BNP chief.
The hartal programme was finalised at a secretary general-level meeting of the parties in the BNP-led 18-party alliance.
“We are almost held hostage as a huge number of law enforcers including plainclothes police have been deployed in and around the office in the name of security of the party chief Khaleda Zia,” party sources said.
Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station, said, “We have just beefed up security measures in and around the office and residence of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, sensing
untoward incident ahead of the
72-hour hartal.”
In an instant reaction, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi described the arrests of the three senior leaders as the government’s last ditch attempt to stave off its fall and hold a lopsided poll.
“These arrests reflect the fascist and undemocratic behaviour of the government. But it will not be able to avoid
its fall through such steps,” Rizvi said over phone.
Rizvi also demanded immediate release of the three leaders.
UNB adds: Home Minister Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir today said
the government will take legal action against those responsible for arson, vandalism and killing of 18 people during the hartal period.
“Some 18 people were killed during the 120 hour hartal violence across the country and the hartal supporters would be responsible for the violence and deaths,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at Institution of Diploma Engineers here.
Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) organised the discussion and colourful procession
on “People’s engineering Day-2013” marking its 43rd Founding Anniversary with its president AKMA Hamid in the chair.
The discussion was also addressed, among others, by Awami League lawmaker Engr Moazzem Hossain Ratan, general secretary of IDEB M Shamsur Rahman.
The home minister said members of the law enforcement agencies have been asked to take action against those, who are involved in killing, arson and vandalism in the name of hartal.
Creating panic through enforcing hartals and continuing attacks on minority groups, dialogue for formation of a polls-time government cannot be held, he said.
The minister said the government is ready for dialogue with the opposition BNP, but not in a state of panic.
Alamgir said, “If minority group creates pressure on majority group forcibly for dialogue, then the dialogue would not be held.”
He urged the BNP-led 18-party opposition to stop enforcing hartals considering public sufferings, adding, “The oppositions must shoulder the responsibilities of the damages and stop destructive activities, if they want to sit for any dialogue.”
-With The Independent input
