Shawkat held in arson attack cases

Detectives yesterday arrested BNP chairperson's Adviser Shawkat Mahmud in the city's Panthapath area.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (media) Muntasirul Islam said Shawkat was arrested in three cases related to arson attacks on vehicles, vandalising vehicles and crude bomb blasts in the city's Jatrabari area in January.

Plainclothes police obstructed Shawkat, also president of a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, when he came to Samarai Convention Centre in Panthapath to attend a media briefing around 11:15am, Jeba Khan, a BNP national executive member, told this correspondent.

The press meet was organised by Adarsha Dhaka Andolan (ADA), a Pro-BNP professionals' platform.

The Detective Branch of police detained Shawkat, ADA member secretary, and took him to their Minto Road Headquarters in a microbus, Jeba, who was there to attend the programme, added.

The former general secretary of Jatiya Press Club was vocal against the government in different television programmes.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters that Shawkat was arrested on specific charges as he was accused in several cases.

Shawkat's spouse Ferdousi Mahmud alleged that her husband had been arrested on political grounds.

Meanwhile, Comilla district unit BNP yesterday called a daylong hartal for today in the district's Burichong and Brahmanpara upazilas protesting the arrest of Shawkat.

ADA PROGRAMME 'FOILED'

Before arresting Shawkat, law enforcers foiled the programme, organisers alleged.

The ADA, which campaigned for the BNP-backed mayoral candidates in Dhaka South and Dhaka North city corporations during the April 28 polls, was supposed to hold the press conference at 11:30am over irregularities and vote rigging in the elections.

Police first barred an ADA delegation led by BNP chief's media staff Sayrul Kabir Khan from entering the convention centre around 10:30am.

They also denied entry of ADA Convener Prof Emajuddin Ahmed and its other leaders and activists -- including senior journalist Mahfuzullah and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury -- to the convention centre around 11:10am.

Law enforcers said the Samarai Convention authorities informed them that they had cancelled the permission earlier given to the ADA, and, therefore, the platform would not be allowed to hold the programme.

In the face of police obstruction, Prof Emajuddin, former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, said they had submitted a letter to Kalabagan Police Station informing them of their programme.

Mahfuzullah showed reporters a receipt copy of the letter. He claimed that they also had informed the intelligence officials earlier about the programme, and none had objected to it.

Kalabagan Police Station Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) Abidur Rahman told reporters that they did not allow the programme as the venue authorities had cancelled booking.

Seeking anonymity, a staff of the convention centre told this correspondent that police on Monday night asked them to cancel the booking on security grounds.

Prof Emajuddin said the government had demonstrated its “utter undemocratic attitude” by not allowing even a non-political organisation to hold a programme.

“Our programme was not meant to say anything against the government. Rather we wanted to help it by showing different loopholes in the recently-held city elections from which the government could be benefited in holding more free and fair elections in future,” he added.