Talks of arrest of the Leader of the Opposition and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia buzzed around the capital throughout Saturday, but it happened to be rumour.
The rumour was, however, given some semblance of credence after Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu told reporters at a function in Dhaka University that Khaleda’s arrest was being mulled as she should be made accountable for the deaths of innocent people during the hartal violence.
Earlier since Friday evening a large number of police beefed up regular security measures at her Gulshan office shortly after a meeting of the BNP led 18-party alliance and announcement of 72-hour nationwide shutdown to press for polls under a non-partisan caretaker government.
But the situation took a dramatic turn after the announcement of hartal and arrests of the five of her top guns when police guards at her residence were reinforced with more than their usual numbers, including by women officers and constables.
After mid-night one of her advisers and a businessman Abdul Awal Mintoo and her aide Advocate Shimul Biswas were picked up by plainclothes cops and whisked away to the Detective Branch of police.
They were charged with inciting BNP activists to go on the rampage during hartals in late September and October, torching vehicles, hurling home-made bombs at police.
Khaleda who takes a break on Friday from attending her office at Gulshan, however, did not attend it on Saturday too.
BNP sources alleged that nobody was allowed to enter her residence during the day, fuelling the rumour of her arrest, aided by presence of police personnel especially women police in front of her home.
But the police said, the reinforcement of her security detail was due to announcement of the hartal on Friday evening.
-With The Independent input
