Police on Tuesday foiled Jatiya Party’s scheduled demonstration programme in the city demanding the release of its chairman Hussain Mohammad Ershad from the Combined Military Hospital (MH) in Dhaka Cantonment. Party presidium member Kazi Firoz Rashid tried to bring out a procession from in front of its Kakrail party office around 3pm, but police intercepted them. The law enforcers also foiled the attempts of the party activists as they tried to take out anther procession from Jatiya Party’s Bijoynagar old office, citing the authorities did not permit the party to hold such programme. Officer-in-charge of Ramna Police Station Moshiur Rahman said they did not allow Jatiya Party to hold their programme as there was no permission to do that. Jatiya Party Dhaka city unit joint secretary general Nuruzzaman Nuru alleged that police also foiled their bid to bring out a procession from its Banani office. Earlier on Monday, Jatiya Party announced a two-day programme, including demonstrations across the country on Tuesday and submission of memorandum to Deputy Commissioners on Wednesday, demanding what the party said the release of Ershad from his captivity at the CMH in the name of treatment. Addressing a press briefing at the party’s Topkhana Road, Kazi Firoz Rashid told reporters that they could not hold their scheduled programme on Tuesday due to obstruction by law enforcers. No permission is required to hold such a programme, he added. He said party secretary general Ruhul Amin Howlader and presidium member GM Quader will announce the party’s next course of action. On December 12, members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) picked up Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad from his Baridhara residence and took him to the CMH. The elite force claimed that Ershad was taken to the CMH for treatment as he suddenly fell sick. However, Ershad by his party spokesman conveyed a message that he was kept confined to the CMC in the name of treatment.
Meanwhile, a legal notice was on Tuesday served upon the Home Secretary and its deputy asking them to release Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad immediately from ‘illegal detention’ or bring the ex-President before the High Court so that it may satisfy itself that he is not being held in custody without lawful authority or in an unlawful manner.
Serving the demand of justice notice by special messenger, Advocate Bokhtiar Uddin Khan Iqbal, also JP organising secretary, through his engaged counsel, said if the notice is ignored a habeas corpus writ petition will be filed before the High Court to protect the fundamental rights of the JP chief.
In the legal notice, Iqbal stated that Ershad had purportedly been detained by law enforcers without following any legal process.
It further said Ershad was arrested/detained from his President Park residence at Baridhara in the capital at 11:30 pm on December 13 by Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and forcibly taken to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka on the pretext of his serious illness, which is completely a false statement – UNB
