Former BNP MP held

Former BNP MP Sardar Sakhawat Hossain Bakul has has been detained while going to meet BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan house on Wednesday evening.

Police, however, are silent about the detention.

The police presence around Khaleda’s house has been reinforced since Tuesday night.

As Bakul was about to enter the BNP chief's house, police detained him after he got into an altercation with them.

He was picked up and taken away in a vehicle even as journalists looked on.

Police officers on duty declined to comment on the incident.

Bakul, a former MP from Narsinghdi known as a BNP reformist, had fallen out of favour with party leaders during the 2007-08 emergency.

He has recently been active again after remaining inactive for a long time.

Police presence around Khaleda’s house has been reinforced after she announced the ‘March for Democracy, urging all to converge on Dhaka to foil the Jan 5 elections.

Assistant Commissioner at Dhaka City Police’s Gulshan Zone Nurul Alam said, “The strength of the law keepers has been double to what it used to be in view of the overall situation.”

Asked about the reason behind the police reinforcement, he said, “It is, in fact, for the security of the opposition party leader.”

BNP Chairperson’s Advisor Abdul Awal Mintoo and Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas were arrested in front of her house. They were later shown as ‘arrested’ in connection with a sabotage during the party's blockade programme.

Eighteen persons, including BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were sued for an act of arson in Dhaka’s Bangla Motor on Tuesday night in which a constable had died.

Several top BNP leaders have been in jail after being arrested amid their election boycott and agitation for the formation of a caretaker government to oversee the polls.

Among the top BNP leaders are Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar ASM Hannan Shah, Rafiqul Islam Mia, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin and Golam Akbar Khandker.