At least 105 people were arrested yesterday across the country for their suspicious movement centring the BNP-led opposition’s “march for democracy” programme in the capital, police said.
These people reportedly BNP-Jamaat activists were nabbed during separate drives conducted in the wee hours and throughout Sunday.
The move came after the opposition leader Khaleda Zia on Friday instructed her activists to head for the capital to observe the programme at Nayapaltan.
Our Chittagong correspondent reported 57 people were arrested from the port city while police seized explosives and lethal arms in an overnight drive in different areas of Satkania, Lohagara and Sitakunda upazilas.
Satkania police station Officer-in-Charge Khaled Hossain said acting on a tip-off, they arrested a local Jamaat-e-Islami activist, Mohammad Yusuf, with 400 grammes of gunpowder, two kilogrammes of lead, three machetes and a saw from Chaumohoni area in Satkahania.
Of the arrestees, 25 were held from Satkania, 15 from Lohagara and 16 from Sitakunda upazilla on charges of involvement in violence on the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar Highway and Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in recent times, said police.
Meanwhile, 14 Jamaat-Shibir activists, including Jamaat leader and Vice-Chairman Emdadul Haque of Baralekha upazila, were arrested, our Moulvibazar correspondent reported quoting police.
Besides, Brahmin bazar union BNP general secretary Aftab Ahmed was also arrested in another drive Sunday morning.
In Brahmanbaria, at least 15 BNP and Jamaat activists were arrested from Saturday night to Sunday morning and were charged with different cases including sabotage.
In Chandpur, 16 BNP-Jamaat activists were arrested from different areas including 12 from BNP and four from Jamaat during a drive conducted from Saturday night to Sunday morning.
Chandpur police Super Amir Zafar told the Dhaka Tribune many of the arrestees were accused in different cases and the rest were arrested for suspicious movement.
In addition, clashes between police and 18-party activists occurred at several places of Chandpur where at least 25 vehicles, including two police covered vans, were vandalised and some were torched.
Meanwhile, some water vessels were forced to return from the mid-river creating trouble of the passengers. At Munshiganj, police forced MV Tarikat 2, a launch carrying 200 passengers, to go back to Madaripur, our correspondent reported.
At Barishal port station, law enforcers forced passengers to leave vessels and station area declaring cancellation of water transport trip and forced the empty vessels to anchor at the mid-river.
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies sets up barricades and check posts at different parts across the country. A good number of check points were established at all four entry points of the city while barricades were established at southern part of Tongi bridge and at Gabtoli-Aminbazar intersection.
Different points, roads and intersections in the city’s Fakirerpool, Nayapaltan, Bijoynagar, Nightingle, Kakrail, Shantinagar, Purana Paltan, Mahakhali, Farmgate, Uttara, Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, Rajarbagh and other areas were heavily guarded with additional deployment of law enforcers.
Meanwhile, seven check posts were established at different points from Mawa Ferry Ghat to Buriganga and Babubazar bridge at Keraniganj respectively.
People from all classes were checked by the lawmen at these points, and those who failed to satisfy the queries of the law enforcers were not allowed to enter the city.
