BNP claims fresh arrests from Mirza Abbas’ house

Some activists of the BNP were picked up from the residence of the party’s standing committee member Mirza Abbas today, his wife alleged.

Afroza Abbas, president of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, said plainclothes picked up seven activists from her Shahjahanpur house around 4:00pm.

“When I was returning home after securing bail from the High Court, I heard some plainclothes police had cordoned my house from all corners,” she said.

“Some of the men were accompanying us. When they went out of our house, police took them away. Some of them have been given a good beating,” she alleged.

Talking to The Daily Star, Motijheel zone police’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Shiblee Noman denied the allegation and said it is a rumour.

WHAT HAPPENED AT NAYAPALTAN ON NOV 14?

During the third day of BNP’s nomination form sale at its Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka, clashes broke out between police and BNP supporters and activists.

While several people including policemen were hurt, two police vehicles were set on fire at the spot and many other vehicles vandalised.

BNP blamed police for an unprovoked attack and urged its supporters to calm down and maintain a peaceful atmosphere.

Right after the incident, both Awami League and BNP placed counter allegations for spoiling a peaceful atmosphere that prevailed in the country ahead of the polls.

However, police sued a total of 488 people, including senior BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, in three different cases filed over the incident.

Among the accused, at least 72 people were arrested and produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka.

The clash erupted a day after the EC sent a letter to the police urging proper enforcement of the code of conduct of polls ahead of the 11th parliamentary election, scheduled for December 30.