Dhaka – The BNP on Saturday claimed that the ongoing anti-militant crackdown has turned into a ploy of mass arrest and an opportunity for law enforcers to make extra money ahead of Eid.
“The government, which depends on police to a great extent, has created an opportunity for the law enforcers for practicing arrest-trade in the name of curbing militancy and extremism to make extra money for Eid,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a briefing at BNP headquarters at Naya Paltan in the city.He questioned that motive of the crackdown saying that though there are some social criminals like drug addicts, but common people and opposition activists are being arrested massively during the drive.
The BNP leader further claimed that more than 1,200 people have been arrested so far but there are allegations that opposition leaders and activists are being arrested en masse.
“There were allegations against such crackdown as the law enforcers collect huge amount of money from the people and leaders and activists of the opposition including BNP by threatening them with arrest,” he added.
Police launched a week-long crackdown since Friday in the spate of recent killings, which law enforcers think are works of the militants.
In 24 hours after the anti-militant drive launched, the law enforcers detained more than 1,000 people, including 37 militants but the total figure included the regular arrests, according to police source.
Rizvi Ahmed alleged that houses of BNP leaders and activists had been raided without warrants. He also accused the law enforcers of ignoring the High Court directives over the issue of Section-54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The BNP leader questioned if the prime minister as head of the state gets all information how a Hindu ashram volunteer was killed just a day after the statement.
Actually, the prime minister does not want to curb militancy, rather their motive is to repress the opposition, he said.
He said the people consider the matter of mass arrest and arrest-trade as politically motivated and mysterious
Rizvi alleged killing incidents are taken place one after another in brought day light but question has been arisen as the law enforcers could not catch any perpetrators.
But people are killed in so-called crossfire after arresting them. Even, if they are militants, they should be quizzed to find out the masterminds but killing them in crossfire is mysterious, he said.
He demanded the immediate arrest of killers of Hindu Ashram volunteer Nittayaranjan Pande and to give them exemplary punishment.
Pande was hacked to death by suspected militants in Pabna on Friday morning amid the police crackdown launched across the country to curb militancy and extremism. – Staff Reporter.
