Police deputed at the house of the BNP chairperson have been withdrawn reportedly because Khaleda Zia continues to live in her office. No announcement has been made in this regard.
The police team deployed to the house at Road No. 79 Gulshan told journalists they had been ordered to report to Rajarbagh Police Lines. The followed the issuance of search warrant at Khaleda’s Gulshan office where she had remained under veritable confinement since 03 January.
The special court which is having proceedings of the Zia Orphanage Trust ‘corruption cases’ also issued warrant of arrest against Khaleda Zia last week rejecting her petition for time as she could not be present at the court on security grounds. The case was originally filed under the last military-backed caretaker government. Cases filed under that overnment against leaders and wokers of the parties now in power have all been withdrawn as they have been declared ‘political’. Similar cases against Khaleda and other Bnp leaders have been reinforced instead.
The case in which search warrant for Khaleda’s office has been issued has charged under the explosives substances law Khaleda Zia and almost all the aides of the Bnp chairperson and other senior leaders who are staying at the Gulshan office and helped her run the office till it was made inoperative by snapping telephone, internet, tv cable and mobile connections little over two weeks ago. The Bnp chief and others have been implicated in bombing a recent rally of Shipping Minister at Gulshan No. 2 intersection. Khan came to Road No. 86 from that rally and warned of stopping the supply of food to her office. Earlier the minister had threatened to snap electric connections.A seven-member police team was deployed to provide security to the house, ‘Firoza’, situated at Road No. 79 at Gulshan in Dhaka. The team was seen preparing to leave around 8:30pm on Sunday. Since her unannounced confinement at the Gulshan Bnp office the government on more than one occasion had made it known that Khaleda Zia was free to go to her home. Khaleda preferred to remain at the office apparently not to lose service of her office to remain in touch with her party leaders and activists.
Police team leader ASI Zahirul Haque said they had been deployed there to provide VVIP protection. “But now we’ve been ordered to report to the Police Lines. That’s why we are leaving,” he said.
No comments from any top police official on the issue were available.
Khaleda’s personal security personnel are at her house.
The former prime minister has been livng at this Gulshan house since she had been evicted from the one inside Dhaka Cantonment four years ago.
The BNP chief has been staying at her political office on the Road No. 86 at Gulshan-2 since Jan 3 as she was not allowed to proceed towards her party central office to see ailing joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi that evening.
She has been under undeclared police confinement in that office since then. A group of police officials have been regulating the to and from the office for quite some time. Special Branch (SB) and Detective Branch (DB) officers are also deployed there.
Police are also controlling the movement on Road No. 86 by using barricades on both ends of the street as well.
The law-enforcers, meanwhile, got orders from a Dhaka court on Sunday to search Khaleda’s office after police said there could be explosives and fugitives there.
Police had asked for the search warrant in an explosives case filed over the bomb attack on Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan’s march at Gulshan on Feb 16.
Last week, another court had issued an arrest warrant for Khaleda in the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases.
Nearly 50 people including several leaders and activists, security personnel, and office staff members are staying with the former prime minister at her office.
Police have kept the office surrounded since Jan 3 when they barred Khaleda from leaving her office.
Although, the barricade was partially lifted later by removing sand laden trucks and water canon, she continued to stay there. She bade farewell to her son Arafat Rahman Koko, who died in Malaysia, from her office.
Police started controlling access to the office again from Feb 11. Power lines were cut once, and internet and telephone connections were snapped.
They are also not allowing food to be supplied from outside and only allowing family members to visit and bring food for Khaleda. – News Desk
