Leaders of the BNP are avoiding party chief Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence fearing arrest since police picked up two fellow party men from there on Friday night. A large number of police were deployed in front of Khaleda’s residence minutes after the Opposition had called for a 72-hour countrywide shutdown starting on Sunday.Khaleda’s Advisor Abdul Awal Mintoo and special aide Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas were arrested from there in the early hours of Saturday. Earlier on Friday, police also arrested party’s Standing Committee members Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar, and Rafiqul Islam Mia.
A Dhaka court ordered the five BNP leaders into jail in two cases on Saturday pending hearing on police’s remand plea. Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia has been staying in the house.
Several Vice Chairmen of party separately told journalists that they
had not dared enter Khaleda’s house fearing arrest.
Only relatives of the party chief and personal security staff were
allowed in the house, they said.
Kaniz Fatima, wife of Khaleda’s younger brother Shamim Iskander, was
seen going into the house with food around noon.
She stayed there for nearly two hours.
The BNP Chairperson’s security affairs advisor Ruhul Alam Chowdhury
had entered the house in the afternoon.
Police say they had been deployed there for the ‘safety’ of the
Opposition Leader.
Hours after the shutdown call, police arrested BNP leaders Moudud
Ahmed, Rafiqul Islam Mia and MK Anwar. -bdnews24
