Amid anti-govt protests, 3 BNP leaders put in jail
31 Dec 2013 5:58 AM IST
BNP Vice Chairman Selima Rahman, Member of Parliament Rasheda Begum Heera and ex-MP Newaz Halima were detained from in front of the former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s residence here which was virtually sieged by riot police.
The three reached Zia’s home on foot and asked the police to allow them to go inside, local media reported. Moments later, the police escorted them and took them to a police station.
Meanwhile, the police said that in a predawn raid on Monday, they have arrested three suspected opposition activists from a house here and seized more than 200 homemade bombs which were believed to be manufactured there to be used during protests.
Several senior BNP leaders have been detained in the past two weeks and many others visibly went underground. Monday’s arrests came as a security blanket was thrown over Dhaka with troops guarding key points to secure them from the BNP-led opposition movement that threatens to continue until the 5 January elections are called off.
Violent clashes erupted this morning at the supreme court complex in central Dhaka with pro-and anti-government lawyers exchanging brickbats, a day after the area turned to be battlefield pitting riot police and ruling Awami League activists against lawyers supporting BNP and its crucial ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami.
Armoured Personnel Carriers were positioned at areas deemed trouble spots while paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh troops and elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion forces patrol the city streets.
In a press briefing, the BNP on Sunday announced it would stage non-stop sit-in protests like Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha across the country until the 5 January elections.
‘We will protest (against the government’s move) taking position on the roads, railways and waterways like Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha,’ BNP’s vice president retired Major Hafizuddin Ahmed told media persons.
He said the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance activists would gather on the roads, railways and waterways until the polls were shelved while ‘our march for democracy (towards Dhaka) will continue on Tuesday.’
‘This is not a new idea,’ Ahmed said, referring to Gandhi who had introduced the Satyagraha or non-violent resistance to fight colonial British regime in India.
Two people were killed in the clashes on Sunday. The opposition is boycotting the polls and political violence during nationwide strikes by them have left over 120 people dead since November.
The three reached Zia’s home on foot and asked the police to allow them to go inside, local media reported. Moments later, the police escorted them and took them to a police station.
Meanwhile, the police said that in a predawn raid on Monday, they have arrested three suspected opposition activists from a house here and seized more than 200 homemade bombs which were believed to be manufactured there to be used during protests.
Several senior BNP leaders have been detained in the past two weeks and many others visibly went underground. Monday’s arrests came as a security blanket was thrown over Dhaka with troops guarding key points to secure them from the BNP-led opposition movement that threatens to continue until the 5 January elections are called off.
Violent clashes erupted this morning at the supreme court complex in central Dhaka with pro-and anti-government lawyers exchanging brickbats, a day after the area turned to be battlefield pitting riot police and ruling Awami League activists against lawyers supporting BNP and its crucial ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami.
Armoured Personnel Carriers were positioned at areas deemed trouble spots while paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh troops and elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion forces patrol the city streets.
In a press briefing, the BNP on Sunday announced it would stage non-stop sit-in protests like Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha across the country until the 5 January elections.
‘We will protest (against the government’s move) taking position on the roads, railways and waterways like Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha,’ BNP’s vice president retired Major Hafizuddin Ahmed told media persons.
He said the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance activists would gather on the roads, railways and waterways until the polls were shelved while ‘our march for democracy (towards Dhaka) will continue on Tuesday.’
‘This is not a new idea,’ Ahmed said, referring to Gandhi who had introduced the Satyagraha or non-violent resistance to fight colonial British regime in India.
Two people were killed in the clashes on Sunday. The opposition is boycotting the polls and political violence during nationwide strikes by them have left over 120 people dead since November.
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