Police stormed into BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on Monday evening and arrested 150 of its leaders and workers, including acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Dhaka city unit convener, Sadek Hossain Khoka, and joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
The law enforcers launched the drive in the BNP office at 6 pm and detained the BNP men. Some of the BNP men, including Fakhrul, were released soon after the arrest and then rearrested.
BNP’s assistant office secretary Abdul Latif Johnny and another leader Mustafizur Rahman Babul were also among those arrested.
During the drive, police also ransacked the office of BNP secretary general.
Talking to reporters during the arrest, Mirza Fakhrul said, “Now I’m on a High Court bail, I don’t know why they’ve arrested me.”
“The government is fully responsible for this. They’ve foiled our rally with the help of their people,” he said.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was released from Kashimpur jail on February 5 as he secured bail in all six cases filed for vandalism and arson attacks during a countrywide road blockade enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance on December 9 last.
Mehedi Hasan, additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Motijheel), told reporters that they arrested the BNP men for deliberately creating an anarchic situation in the area. “They’ll be brought under the ambit of the law,” he added.
He said 10 crude bombs were seized from BNP office during the drive.
The police drive in the BNP office followed the blasts of 8 to 10 crude bombs at about 5pm in front of it while Fakhrul was speaking at the rally.
The drive to arrest the BNP men was continuing till filing of this report at 6:50 pm.
Meanwhile, the BNP-led 18-party called a countrywide daylong hartal for Tuesday protesting attacks on its ‘peaceful rally by police and the ruling party cadres’.
UNB
