Visitors to Khaleda's office under surveillance

Police have clamped ‘restrictions’ on visitors to BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s office at Dhaka’s Gulshan diplomatic zone.

Police’s Special Branch started registering names and addresses of those visiting the office on Thursday evening, hours after a media statement said Khaleda had announced continuation of the ongoing anti-government protests.

The SB members are also writing down their phone numbers and reasons for the visit in the register book kept at the gate.

Even an employee of Khaleda’s residence, Humayun Kabir, had to register his details while entering the office around 6:30pm.

SB officials posted there told reporters ‘this measure has been taken in the interest of security’ of the BNP chief.

However, the BNP leaders now staying at the office with the party chief alleged police were only restricting visitors to the office through this measure.

Leaders of the BNP and its allies are facing police obstructions for last one month while visiting Khaleda at her office where she has been staying since Jan 3.

At the office, the BNP chairperson is accompanied by the party's Vice-Chairperson Selima Rahman, Mohila Dal General Secretary Shirin Sultana, her Adviser Abdul Kaiyum, Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan and Security Coordinator Abdul Majid.

Khaleda had announced the blockade of highways, railways and waterways after police prevented her from addressing a rally on Jan 5, marking the first anniversary of the parliamentary polls.

Law enforcers blocked the roads around the BNP chief’s office by sand-laden trucks and locked its main gate.

Meanwhile, a group of people, under the banner of ‘Affected Innocent Drivers’, staged a sit-in protest on Road 86 in front of Khaleda’s office from 2pm to 6pm demanding that she call off the violent blockade.

At the sit-in on the podium raised on a truck, they shouted anti-shutdown and blockade slogans.

The divers sang songs and got instant prizes for their ‘good performances’.