Human Rights Watch has urged the government to end its recent actions against opposition party members and lift "restrictions on the media".
The international rights watchdog made the call in a press release issued on Thursday.
“The government’s indiscriminate use of force, arbitrary arrests, and censorship will only inflame an already tense situation,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of the rights body.
He said: “Authorities have an obligation to protect the public, but need to do it in a way that does not throw human rights and the rule of law out the window.”
It also urged the opposition leaders to call on party workers to refrain from violence during the protests.
“The arrest of the owner and closure of a TV station is not acceptable from a government that claims to be democratic," Adams said citing the arrest of ETV Chairman Abdus Salam.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been kept confined to her Gulshan party office since January 3.
However, police authorities and ministers, including the prime minister, denied confining the opposition leader and said the heavy police deployment was in response to Khaleda's request for security.
On January 6, detectives arrested ETV Chairman Abdus Salam from his office in the case filed under the Pornography Act 2012 for broadcasting a false report about a woman in a programme named Ekusher Chokh two months ago.
The arrest came one day after ETV’s broadcast of an anti-government speech by BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman.
Later on January 7, the High Court banned publishing, broadcasting or reproducing speeches, statements of Tarique Rahman in print, electronic and social media as long he is absconding.