Arrests after strike call heats sreets up

In a surprise crackdown on the strike-happy Opposition, police have arrested BNP's three top leaders and its Chairperson Khaleda Zia's Advisor Abdul Awal Mintoo and Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas.

The crackdown came hot on the heels of the BNP-led 18-Party alliance calling a 72-hour strike starting from Sunday, followed by two spells of 60-hour shutdown in as many weeks.

Bangladesh's politics heated up more on Friday, a weekly holiday, with this manoeuvre against the main opposition, when ruling Awami League and its arch foe BNP are in fight for traction over the next election.

Arson attacks and vandalism took place at various parts in Bangladesh on Friday night. Strikes have also been called in five districts just before the day of the latest shutdown, leaving the public no space to breath.

The BNP has even gone on to threaten that it will prolong the latest shutdown if their top leaders are not released immediately, fuelling fears of further blood-letting.

The Information Minister says the government has had no other option but to make the arrest in view of the opposition party's possible acts of sabotage in the day ahead.

Three-day shutdown

The main opposition’s acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement on Friday afternoon after a meeting of the secretaries general of the alliance member parties.

He claimed the strike was to protect the ‘people’s right to vote’.

“We have already enforced two phases of strikes for a nonpartisan government. But the government has not yet responded. That’s why we are announcing tougher agitations.”

“The strike will be observed from 6am Sunday to 6am Wednesday.”

As the alliance leaders left the office, a large police force was reinforced on the streets around the Opposition Leader's office at around 5pm.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Gulshan Zone Assistant Commissioner Nurul Amin said the police presence had been beefed up around the office and the residence of Opposition Leader ‘for the sake of security’.

Five arrests

After the announcement of the shutdown, around 8:15pm on Friday, police picked up BNP Standing Committee members Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Mia from near Hotel Sonargaon at Karwan Bazar.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's Advisor Abdul Awal Mintoo and her Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswa were picked up around 1:00am on Saturday.

The two were whisked away in front of Khaleda’s Gulshan residence in Dhaka, security staff Saleh Akram said.

“They were here to speak with the madam. Police picked them into a white car and left.”

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman confirmed their arrests, but did not go into details.

After a meeting of the 18-Party alliance earlier on Friday afternoon, BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir declared another Opposition sponsored three-day nationwide general strike starting from Sunday.

After the announcement, a large police force had surrounded the Gulshan office and residence of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Later, around 8:15pm, police picked up BNP Standing Committee members Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Mia from near Hotel Sonargaon at Karwan Bazar.

They were taken to the Detective Branch headquarters at Minto Road in the capital.

The BNP also alleged that police raided residences of several other senior leaders.

Then Mintoo and Shimul Biswas were arrested in the wee hours of Saturday.

Mintoo, a businessman and former FBCCI President, was very close to Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina in the 1990s.

He was also arrested during the army-run 2007-8 caretaker administration on charges of corruption along with many other politicians and businesspersons.

Mintoo is also involved in the initiative of the business leaders to broker a dialogue between the two major political alliances to come to a settlement over the form of polls-time dispensation.

As a part of the initiative, business leaders have met both Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda in the recent days. Mintoo attended both the meetings.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman, however, did not say for what cases the BNP's three top figures and its Chairperson's Advisor Mintoo and aide Shimul Biswas had been arrested.

Speaking to bdnews24.com, he just said, "They have been arrested on specific charges. They will be taken to court tomorrow (Saturday)."

Vandalism and arson

In an apparent retaliation hours after police arrested three senior opposition leaders, three vehicles were set on fire at Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar, Mirpur and Arambagh on Friday night.

Handmade bombs were exploded at Farmgate.

At 10:45am, supporters of BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami vandalised cars at Dhaka-Chittagong highway. During this time, a chase and counter-chase took place between them and police.

Two police members were injured during the clash, said Sitakunda Police Station's OC Badiuzzaman, adding that the situation had been brought in control at around 3am.

In protest against the arrests, local BNP units in Bhola, Comilla, Noakhali, Feni and Pabna have called day-long general strikes for Saturday in the districts.

The BNP’s Comilla unit will enforce the dawn-to-dusk strike at Homna and Titas Upazilas and the Noakhali unit at Sadar Purbanchal, Kabirhat and Companiganj.

Feni unit will put in force the daylong strike protesting the arrest of Mintoo at the district's Dagonbhuiyan Upazila and the Pabna unit in protest against the arrests of the leaders including Shimul Biswas.

BNP adherents took out processions in Chuadanga and Jamalpur to protest the arrests and in different areas of Noakhali.

They set fire to a bus and vandalised several other vehicles at the time, Sudharam Police Station OC Mosharraf Hossain told bdnews24.com.

Fire-fighters later extinguished the flames.

BNP activists also vandalised several vehicles both at Companiganj and Kabirhat Upazilas, police said.

More shutdown threat

The BNP has threatened to prolong the Opposition’s 72-hour nationwide general strike beginning Sunday if its three senior leaders are not immediately released.

The party’s Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said this at an emergency press conference at the National Press Club at around 10pm Friday.

He said the arrests was part of the ‘autocratic government’s’ ploy to hold a farcical one-sided election. “Release them right now; otherwise, our 72-hour shutdown will be toughened and prolonged.”

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, on the other hand, told bdnews24.com that the government was left with no choice but to arrest the BNP leaders if it was to secure public life and property.

Speaking to bdnews24.com hours after the stalwarts were detained, Inu said, “Acts of sabotages are being carried out in the name of strike.

“People are getting killed. This strike is provocative.”

The government was forced to make the arrests to save the people from sabotage and violence, he said.

The minister said when the option of dialogue is getting shape, announcing three days of general strike even after six days of shutdown was “inhuman and against humanity, education and the country”.

The minister said 2.1 million students were deprived of sitting their examinations due to the shutdowns. “Annual tests, admission tests take place at this time of the year.”

Arson attacks and violent incidents ahead of the strike amounted to war against the state, he said.

Exams being stalled

The Junior School Certificate and Junior Dakhil Certificate exams, slated for Nov 10, 11 and 12, have again been postponed due to a 72-hour countrywide general strike called by the opposition.

Inter Education Board Coordination Sub-committee Chairman Prof Taslima Begum confirmed the postponement. She said the fresh dates would be announced on Saturday.

“We are behind schedule even if we take exams set for the three days on the two weekends. The exams will be rescheduled after consulting the minister and secretary.”

The Rajshahi University admission tests, scheduled for Nov 10-14, have also been deferred due to the shutdown.

University Vice Chancellor Prof Mizanuddin confirmed to bdnews24.com that the new exams schedule would be announced on Saturday.

According to a government estimate, at least 20 people were killed during the Opposition's two spells of 60-hour shutdown - Oct 27 to 29 and Nov 4 to 6.

Massive explosions, vandalism and arson also took place during the shutdowns across the country.

The BNP-led 18-Party alliance says they want the next election under a non-party caretaker Cabinet. But the ruling Awami League is dead against it.

The ruling party, on the other hand, wants the poll-time administration under an-party Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the party's chief.

Amid the calls by diplomats and various quarters, Sheikh Hasina had on Oct 26 called up the Opposition Leader, Khaleda Zia, who led two elected governments, the last before Hasina's party comes to power.

The Prime Minister had invited her to a dialogue over dinner at Ganabhaban to 'come to consensus' over the election time dispensation.

Khaleda, however, had refused, saying it would not be possible for her to respond to the invitation during the shutdown her party-led alliance was enforcing then.

She had also said she agreed to sit in a dialogue after the shutdown.

Two major parties have ever been urging each other to come up with a dialogue offer.

The ruling party has, meanwhile, said that the Opposition party has to promise no fresh shutdown if wants any dialogue.

The Opposition, however, has announced that they will not stop their movement until their demand is met. Their latest shutdown begins on Sunday.