BNP concerned over jailed chief’s well-being as it holds protests

A day after party chief Khaleda Zia landed in jail for corruption, the BNP says it was concerned over her well-being as its demonstration was dispersed by police.

Amid heightened security across Bangladesh and nervous tension, the 72-year-old was convicted on Thursday of misappropriating foreign funds donated to an orphanage trust.

The three-time prime minister has been sentenced to five years in jail in a charge that she and her supporters describe as a politically motivated attempt to shut her out of election.

Khaleda has been kept at the old premises of Dhaka Central Jail on Nazimuddin Road in Old Dhaka.

It’s located at a walking distance from the Fifth Special Judge’s Court of Dhaka at Bakhshibazar, which delivered the verdict and is also hearing another graft case against her.

The BNP said on Friday that it was concerned over its chairperson’s well-being in prison.

“It has been reported in the media that she has been kept as a regular inmate. We have no access to information over what is happening there and what’s the condition inside,” Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhil Kabir Rizvi told a media briefing.

Prison authorities, however, said on Thursday that as a former premier, Khaleda is being treated as a Division 1 inmate at the facility which they describe as a ‘special jail’.

She is the lone inmate there as authorities have transferred prisoners to the new facility in Keraniganj around two years ago.

Soon after the verdict was delivered on Thursday, the BNP announced peaceful protests for the next day.

A procession was taken out from the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, but after reaching Naya Paltan, police chased away the demonstrators and detained some people from the scene.

In line with the BNP’s announcement, it was a ‘peaceful’ procession comparing to the previous day when clashes erupted between supporters and police.

Following the Friday prayers, the procession, led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, took off from the road in front of the national mosque.

As soon it reached the Dainik Bangla intersection, Mirza Fakhrul stepped away and got into a car.

Amid a huge presence of law enforcers, sporadic clusters of supporters and activists made up the procession in the beginning, but it grew heavy later.

The procession hit a snag as it approached to Naya Paltan, where the BNP headquarters is located.

As police tried to stop them from proceeding further, the demonstrators scattered and went into nearby alleys, only to regroup soon after.

The procession grew heavy when it reached to the BNP offices. Hundreds of supporters were raising slogans demanding Khaleda’s release.

With police in behind, it started to proceed to Kakrail, but the demonstrators once again retreated to alleys when it found a police barricade soon after.

It’s then when law enforces, armed with batons, started to chase the demonstrators and detained a few from the scene.

 Police, however, said they cooperated with the ‘peaceful demonstration’.

“Since their approach was not unruly, the police patiently allowed them to end the peaceful procession,” Additional Deputy Commissioner Shibly Noman told the media.

He, however, could not say how many people were detained from the demonstration.

Replying to a query over chasing the demonstrators, Noman said the police may have done it as the protestors went into the alleys of residential buildings.

“The people have the right to protest in a democratic state. So, the police cooperated with their peaceful procession.”