Dhaka, Apr 29 – Police on Sunday arrested 17 BNP leaders from a building in the city’s Bangla Motor area on charge of holding a ‘clandestine’ meeting.BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, however, said that their leaders were holding the meeting over the party’s organisational issues.
Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said members of Ramana Police Station arrested the 17 BNP leaders while they were holding a ‘secret’ meeting against the government at Rupayan Tower at Bangla Motor around 5:15pm.
Talking to UNB, Rizvi said police arrested their party’s Dhaka south city unit senior vice president Shamsul Huda, acting general secretary Habibur Rashid Habib, vice presidents Yunus Mridha, Golam Hossain, joint secretaries M Zobaier Ijaj, Alamgir Hossain, Farroque Islam, organising secretary Saiful Islam Patu and some other leaders.
He said their leaders were holding the meeting over their party’s organisational issues. “Holding a meeting by leaders of the country’s major political part is not a crime. Police can’t arrest our leaders for holding a meeting…we strongly condemn and protest it.”
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam also condemned the arrest of their party leaders.
He demanded the government unconditionally release of their arrested party leaders.
The BNP leader alleged that the government is arresting their party leaders and activists constantly to ‘restore one-party rule’ through the next general election.
He said the arrest is also meant for suppressing their party’s movement demanding the release of its chairperson Khaleda Zia. “The government neither can escape public wraths nor obstruct the movement seeking Khaleda Zia’s release by arresting BNP leaders and activists.” – UNB
