Nearly 500 people, most of whom are opposition activists, have been arrested from different parts of the country during the ongoing drive by the joint forces in the past 24 hours on charges of vandalism and acts of sabotage.
The join forces comprising police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) are conducting the massive crackdown also to arrest listed criminals to maintain law and order ahead of January 5 general elections.
The joint forces drive also coincides with the opposition’s March to Dhaka for Democracy programme scheduled on December 29.
The join forces are also conducting checks in different bus stations, rail stations and launch terminals and major entry points to the capital to prevent criminals and saboteurs enter the city on the occasion of opposition programme.
Checks were also been conducted on the western part of Bangbadhu Jamuna Bridge on vehicles coming from the northern districts in this connection.
Hotels, boarding and messes in the city are also being checked for in search of the criminals.
Besides, army troops were seen conducting check ups of vehicles in different parts of the city.
Leaders of opposition parties including the BNP criticised the government to conduct the crackdown what they said aiming at foiling Sunday’s March to Dhaka for Democracy.
Police sources denied the allegation saying that the drive is being conducted to improve the law and order ahead of the election that is going to be held without participation of the opposition parties.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hasan Mahmud Khandaker told reporters that if any innocent person is arrested, he/she would be released after scrutiny.
“Measures will be taken against concern law enforcers if any allegation of harassment is found against them,” he said while talking to reporters at Rajarbagh Police Line after paying respect to the departed soul of police constable Sidhartha Chandra Sarker, who was killed in a bomb attack by Jamaat-Shibir activists in Rajshahi on Friday.
The IGP said the joint force’s drive is on to arrest criminals.
Of the arrested persons, 129 listed criminals were arrested from Mirpur area in Dhaka alone. The joint forces arrested them in an overnight drive on Friday from different areas under Mirpur.
The joint forces lunched the drives at Mirpur, Darus Salam, Rupnagar, Kafrul and Pallabi areas from Thursday midnight till Friday morning and arrested them.
The actual number of arrest in the city was not fully disclosed by the police. They said it would be available after the scrutiny of the arrested people.
Md Abu Yusuf, Assistant Commissioner (Media) told The Independent that over 100 people were arrested from different parts of the city on Friday.
Assistant Commissioner (Pallabi Zone) Md Kamal told reporters that 51 were arrested from Pallabi area alone.
The joint forces started drives in the city from Wednesday night to arrest listed criminals and those involved in subversive activists.
Our Rajshahi Bureau reports police and members of law enforcement agencies rounded up 47 persons from four thanas of Rajshahi durng the last 18-hours in connection with the murder case of police constable Siddhartha.
Earlier on Thursday night, Boalia thana police filed a case accusing 400 people where names of 85 persons including BNP Central Committee Member, Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation Mosaddeque Hossain Bulbul, former Mayor and Central BNP Joint Secretary General Mijanur Rahman Minu, BNP Special Secretary Advocate Nadim Mostafa and General Secretary of BNP City unit Shefiqul Haque Mlon have were mentioned.
In Chittagong, the combined forces and police in separate drives arrested 12 people including listed terror from different places of Sitakunda, Satkania and Lohagara upazilas in the early hours on Friday.
Iftekher Hasan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sitakunda police station, said that conducting a raid at different places in Sayedpur union the combined forces arrested four persons on charges of being involved in violence on the highway. “Of the arrested there is a listed terror while others are activists of Jamaat-Shibir”, he said adding that the arrested are accused of different cases filed on the incident of violence on the highway.
Khaled Hosen, OC of Satkania police station, conducting an overnight drive at different parts of the upazila police arrested five Jamaat-Shibir activists on charges of being involved in the violence on Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar Highway recently.
Mohammad Shahjahan, OC of Lohagara police station, said that police arrested three persons from the upazila in the early hours. “The arrested are the accused of different cases filed in connection with the subversive activities on the highway”, OC Shahjahan added.
In Satkhira, police arrested three Jamaat-Shibir activists from Murarikati village under Kolaroa upazila in Satkhira in a case accused of vandalism and acts of sabotage.
The arrested persons are identified as Moshiar Mistri, 45, Azizul Islam, 40 and Maruf Hossain, 25.
Besides, the joint forces arrested 55 people from Bogra, 33 from Nilphamari, 26 from Gazipur, 14 from Thakurgaon, 12 each from Brahmanbaria and Chapainawabganj, 10 from Jenaidah, nine from Barisal, eight each from Dinajpur and Natore, seven from Rangpur, six from Lalmonirhat, five from Noakhali, four from Luxmipur, three from Satkhira and two from Panchagarh district. – Staff Reporter
