Law enforcement officials arrested several senior leaders of the BNP on Wednesday, hours after violent clashes between the police and opposition supporters left one dead and around 20 others injured in Naya Paltan area.
BNP leaders blamed the police for excesses and alleged that the government had stage-managed the clashes that rocked the area around 3pm onwards to foil its mass rally slated for December 10.
The deceased was identified as Moqbul Hossain. No further details, such as the victim's age or political ideology, were released. His body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for an autopsy, said Md Bacchu Mia, in-charge of the police outpost.
The clash broke out around 3pm when slogan-chanting BNP men took up position outside the party office and defied a police order to leave the place, witnesses said.
At one stage, police lobbed teargas shells and charged batons to disperse them. The BNP activists responded by pelting brick chips at police, triggering the clash.
DMP Commissioner Khondker Golam Faruq justified the police action, saying they had conducted an anti-terrorism drive and found cocktails inside rice and lentil sacks kept in the BNP office.
Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneBiplab Sarkar, joint commissioner (operation) at the DMP headquarters, said the police had taken action to ensure public security. As per the DMP commissioner's directive, the police were doing whatever was necessary to maintain law and order.
According to witnesses, a large number of police personnel and special forces were deployed in Naya Paltan later, while check posts were set up in Dhaka and nearby areas.
Following Wednesday's clashes, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said he had entered the party office after taking permission from the home minister and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner.
“Still, police officials barred me from going inside, which is totally unacceptable in a democratic country,” Fakhrul said, sitting on the footpath outside the party office.
Shayrul Kabir Khan, a member of BNP's media cell, claimed the police had arrested at least 100 activists.
After the clashes, police picked up Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Dhaka north unit Convener Aman Ullah Aman, Dhaka south unit Convener Abdus Salam, Chairperson's Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas and Publicity Secretary Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the police would take action according to the law if the BNP blocked any roads to hold its rally on Saturday.
Police arrested BNP Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP Convener Aman Ullah Aman and enior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi from the BNP central office Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribunePanic spread among city dwellers as the news of the clashes spread in the afternoon. The US embassy in Dhaka issued an alert for its citizens, asking them to avoid demonstrations and exercise caution in the vicinity of any large gatherings. It said the demonstrations intended to be peaceful could turn confrontational and escalate into violence.
UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis on Wednesday reminded Bangladesh of its commitments, as a UN member state, to "free expression, media freedom, and peaceful assembly" among others written in the Declaration as the country is coming closer to its national election next year.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader On Wednesday said the BNP had started terror activities on the streets before its rally in a planned manner.
"The BNP wishes to occupy Dhaka streets on December 10. Some time ago, I heard that BNP attacked the police in Naya Paltan. People know why they want to hold a rally in Naya Paltan. Because they can use weapons and carry out fire terrorism quickly from there," Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said in Cox's Bazar.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir talking to reporters outside BNP's central office BanglaTribuneBehind the chaos
Tension was mounting for the last few days regarding the stalemate over selecting the venue for the Dhaka rally, the 10th mass rally, in line with the BNP's movement to restore a non-party interim government and release of party chief Khaleda Zia ahead of the general elections slated for January 2024, and to protest the rising prices of essentials and fuel oils.
While the BNP leaders maintained that they would not hold the rally anywhere other than Naya Paltan, police permitted the party to arrange the event at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan.
Political mercury started rising since Aman Ullah Aman, at a party program on October 8, announced that the country would run as per the directives of Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman after December 10.
Two days later, Khaleda's Adviser Zainul Abedin Farroque said Khaleda would join the rally. Some other party leaders echoed Aman and Farroque while talking to the media.
On the other hand, the prime minister, several cabinet members and ruling party leaders have been alleging that the BNP is planning to create chaos centring the rally with an evil plan to bring a third force to power, like radical Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam attempted through its Motijheel rally on May 5, 2013, in association with the BNP-led four-party alliance. The Awami League also alleges that widespread violence may take place on the streets since the BNP-led alliance resorted to such method during their anti-government movement in 2014-15.