BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been kept confined to her Gulshan party office since Saturday midnight.
She has spent overnight at the office due to confinement by the police.
Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, special assistant to Khaleda, told reporters about the confinement at an instant press briefing at the BNP Gulshan office on Saturday night.
However, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police authority said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has not been confined to her office.
Monirul Islam, joint commissioner at the DMP and also its spokesperson, made the statement at a press briefing on Sunday afternoon.
He said: “We have just increased her security ahead of the January 5 program.”
Additional police forces were deployed in and around BNP Gulshan office in the morning.
Security has been tightened in Gulshan 1, Gulshan 2 and Banani areas. Police are checking each and every car at the entrance points in the posh areas.
The whole area was turned to desert as public and transport movements were restricted in the areas, reports our correspondent from the spot.
Police pick-up vans were parked diagonally, blocking the main entrance to the BNP Gulshan office so as to obstruct anyone from leaving the building.
The law enforcement agency came up with the move at the end of a day that was apparently heated by debate between BNP and ruling Awami League leaders centring BNP's Jan 5 Dhaka rally.
Earlier in the day BNP said that it will try to hold its pre-scheduled January 5 Dhaka rally even if they are denied of permission by the authorities. On the other hand, State Minister for Home Affairs warned of strong resistance to any attempt for sabotage on Jan 5.
On the eve of the January 5 election anniversary, the country appears to be sitting on another explosive political situation, with both BNP and Awami League hell-bent on staging showdowns in the capital, and the administration discussing the possibilities of banning political programmes.
For months, the BNP has been talking and making preparations about reminding people big time about what they say was an “illegal and one-sided election” that took place exactly a year ago.
On the other hand, the ruling Awami League has also been trying to charge up its leaders and activists to remain visible and active on the streets in order to prevent what they say was “BNP-Jamaat's attempt to create anarchy in the name of a movement.”
On December 22, the BNP applied to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and the Public Works Department (PWD), seeking permission to hold a rally at either the Suhrawardy Udyan or Nayapaltan or the Shapla Intersection in Motijheel.
The BNP is looking to observe January 5 as the “democracy killing day.”
However, the Awami League by then had already sought permission from the administration to hold several rallies in the city on the same day, which for them is the “victory day of democracy.”
