Ahead of BNP-led 18 party’s announced October 25 rally, law enforcers carried out separate drives across the country on Wednesday and arrested many leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir, in an effort to foil their “subversive activities.”
Police raided Jamaat’s city unit office at Purana Paltan on Wednesday and arrested an activist from the spot.
A joint drive by Paltan police station and the Detective Branch arrested Enamul Haque, 24, and recovered two jihadi books from his possession at around 5pm.
Ashrafuzzaman, deputy commissioner of police of Motijheel division, told the Dhaka Tribune the raid was carried out based on information that Jamaat-Shibir activists were planning subversive activities in the capital.
Meanwhile, 16 suspected Jamaat-Shibir activists, including a media correspondent of Diganta Teleivision, were arrested on Wednesday from the capital’s National Press Club area.
Police made the arrests when the suspects were coming out from a discussion at the press club. The arrestees were later taken to Shahbagh police station.
Abdul Jalil, inspector (investigation) of Shahbagh police station, told the Dhaka Tribune the arrests were made following information that Jamaat-Shibir activists had attended a programme at the press club in disguise.
Deputy Commissioner of Police of Ramna Division Maruf Hassan said the arrests were made based on information that the suspects were planning to carry out subversive activities.
In a separate drive, police also arrested BNP’s Dhaka city unit Joint Convener Ahsanullah Hasan from his office at the Mirpur-6 area at noon.
Mirpur model police station OC Salauddin Ahmed said Ahsanullah will be shown arrested in several vandalism and arson cases that were filed against him with the station.
Imtiaz Ahmed, deputy commissioner of police of Mirpur division, said Ahsanullah was being interrogated and would be sent to court on Thursday.
According to police sources, law enforcers picked up over 300 opposition leaders and activists since last Sunday, ahead of the October 25 programmes.
However, Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of Detective Branch, denied the claim and said the 49 police stations in the capital arrest around 150 to 300 people daily, and that the numbers did not exceed the average in the last few days.
Monirul added that 26,000 police personnel were ready to ensure citizens’ safety, with several political parties’ announcements of holding rallies in the capital.
If needed, police will not only make mass arrests on the day, but they would also take any kind of action against any violator, the joint commissioner warned.
The police actions in Dhaka came as police in other districts of the country also carried out drives to arrest several Jamaat-Shibir activists.
In Chittagong, police arrested four Shibir men on Tuesday night from a mess quarter at the city’s Oxygen area.
Bayezid police station OC Sairul Islam said police carried out the raid on a tip-off and held the Shibir men as they were planning to carry out subversive activities in the area.
Some leaflets, jihadi books and organisational receipt books for collecting donations – were seized from their possession. A case has been lodged in this regard, the OC added.
Elsewhere in Satkhira, police on Wednesday morning arrested 10 Jamaat-Shibir leaders, including Ashashuni upazila Jamaat Secretary Abu Musa Tariquzzaman Tushar and Satkhira town Shibir President Abu Taleb.
In Narsingdi, law enforcers at Shibpur police station also arrested five Shibir activists.
