Twin brothers, Shahidul Islam and Maksudul Islam, both students, find themselves in Kishoreganj jail, while their father, Aminul Islam, president of Kishoreganj Zila BNP, and elder brother, Anan Islam, vice president of the district Chhatra Dal, are currently evading arrest.
On October 31, authorities were unable to locate Aminul and Anan at their residence. Subsequently, the police arrested the younger twin sons, Shahidul and Maksudul, on allegations related to assaulting the police and vandalizing a car during the general strike on October 28 in Sholakia.
Jharna Islam, Aminul's wife, asserted that her younger sons are solely focused on their studies and are innocent. She claimed that despite their lack of involvement in political activities, the police arrested them after failing to find their father and elder brother.
"My two younger sons do nothing other than studying. They are innocent. However, the police came to the house at night, did not find my husband and elder son, and took away my two younger sons. They (the twins) never go to any political programs or meetings," she said.
According to Mohammad Daud, the officer-in-charge of Kishoreganj Sadar police station, Shahidul and Maksudul were arrested on the basis of specific allegations, although they are not directly implicated in the case.
The arrests are part of a broader crackdown on political figures and activists in the wake of the widespread violence and vandalism during the political demonstrations on October 28.
On November 3, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that the BNP's top leaders cannot avoid responsibility for creating anarchy on October 28.
“Top BNP leaders took a decision and on that decision, their activists attacked the Chief Justice’s residence, judge’s complex and women and killed a police constable. So, they cannot evade responsibility,” he told journalists.
Allegations have emerged from various quarters that the government is employing a strategy of apprehending not only the targeted individuals but also their relatives, creating an atmosphere of fear and panic. The BNP contends that the police are detaining family members, including brothers, fathers, in-laws, cooks, and even dog keepers, when the primary targets are not found.
According to BNP claims, from October 28 to November 14, a total of 14,231 BNP leaders and workers were arrested across the country. As many as 642 cases were filed, accusing 51,628 individuals.
Ishraq Hossain, a member of the BNP's international affairs committee, remains elusive, while his younger brother Ishfaq Hossain and driver Rajiv have been arrested. Similar incidents involve the family of mayoral candidate Tabith Awal, where the police, unable to locate him and his father, took his younger brother Tajwar M Awal in for questioning.
Relatives of Tabith Awal alleged that Tajwar was later released but physically abused. They also claimed that the police arrested five support staff of the house, including Abdul Awal Mintu's driver, cook, and pet dog keeper. After they were sent to jail, two people were granted bail.
However, according to information from the Gulshan police station and the statement of the case, these five accused were not arrested from Tabit Awal's house but from Gulshan 2 area. They were sent to jail in an old cocktail explosives case from 2022, and allegations have been found against them on being involved in various anarchic activities in Dhaka under the umbrella of many accused of BNP.
BNP leaders claim that the government's actions parallel the tactics employed during the 1971 conflict, where family members were targeted if the primary individual could not be found. The arrests span various regions, with police actions extending to family members and support staff.
The government's approach, as characterized by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, is perceived as an attempt to weaken the BNP by creating a climate of fear and employing administrative resources and media propaganda. However, BNP leaders emphasize the party's grassroots strength and resilience.
BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said: "The government is trying to make the BNP leaderless and wipe it out by creating a reign of terror in the entire country using the administrative apparatus of the government and using propaganda in the media. But the BNP is a political party whose base is in the grassroots of the people. Above them are middle and local level leaders."
On October 28, several clashes took place around the BNP's big procession in Dhaka. The police filed dozens of cases against BNP leaders and workers over the violence that day.
From the next day, many important leaders, including the secretary general of the party and standing committee senior members, were arrested. After the strike and blockade program called by the opposition parties, cases were filed, and arrests were initiated against BNP leaders and workers at various levels across the country.
