On Saturday night, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia decided to visit Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the ailing joint secretary general who was at that time staying in the party’s Nayapaltan office. Around 10:30pm, she asked her personal aides to get ready to go to there.
However, by the time she came down the stairs and got onto her white Nissan Petrol inside the main gate of her Gulshan office around 11:30pm, police had entered the Nayapaltan office and taken Rizvi “to a hospital for treatment.” Additional law enforcers were deployed in front of Khaleda’s Gulshan office as well.
BNP leaders alleged that their chief had been barred from going out of her office.
When the first of the journalists arrived in Gulshan, they saw several police trucks and vans had taken position around the office. One truck was parked on the right side of the office and three on the left. Police officials present in the area refused to say anything about their movements.
At midnight, Khaleda’s special assistant Shamshur Rahman Shimul Biswas alleged that she had been confined and was not allowed to come out. Selima Rahman, Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papya, Rehena Akter Ranu, Nilofar Chowdhury Moni, Shirin Sultana, Khaleda Yeasmin and some other female leaders were in the office with the party chief.
Around 1 o’clock in the morning, Khaleda’s housemaid Kulsum entered the office, bringing with her at least eight big travel bags. Half an hour later, a pick-up van brought a mattress and it was taken inside.
Since Saturday night, no BNP leader or activist was allowed to enter the office. A female leader mockingly said: “Incoming and outgoing, nothing free.” Around 2:30am, someone brought food for the leaders who were inside the office and also for the reporters who were waiting outside.
Several senior journalists said they do not remember any previous occasion when the former prime minister had to “live” in the office. Around 9 o’clock on Sunday, breakfast was brought.
An hour or so later, some leaders from Mohila Dal, women’s front of the party, tried to enter the office but police prevented them; 13 were detained from the spot.
Around midday, a scuffle took place between Mohila Dal leaders and some supporters of the ruling Awami League; the ruling party men beat up some of the women.
Then former president of the country AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, now president of Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, went there to meet Khaleda; but he and his supporters too were not allowed in.
Some pro-BNP journalists and lawyers then went to meet her in the office; after coming out, they told media that she was still determined to attend the rally that the party wanted to hold yesterday and have not got the permission for.
After sunset, police took position right in front of the gate of Khaleda’s Gulshan office and were now preventing even journalists from entering.
Around midnight, four trucks, laden with sand and bricks, were brought and parked outside the office. Soon, the number of trucks was increased and by yesterday evening, a total of 11 trucks were stationed in the area.
A water cannon, armed cars, police vans and a good number of female police were deployed outside the office. Police then locked the main gate from outside. In the afternoon, RAB members joined in.
However, when this report was filed at 1:30am, Khaleda was still in the office; but all of the freight trucks were removed from the area and the guard was somewhat eased. However, police vehicles remained.
While briefing reporters from “confinement,” Khaleda said: “Unlock the gate. I want to go to the Nayapaltan central office. Cooperate with me.”
Somebody asked her how she was. In reply she said: “It has been hard. It is painful but I have no other option.”
When she was trying to come out, police sprayed pepper from outside the gate to disperse Khaleda’s entourage.
Her press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that the BNP chief had “fallen ill because of the pepper spray.”Her personal physician Dr Mamun entered the office around 7pm and she took treatment from him.
This experience is not new for the BNP chief. On December 27, 2013, Khaleda Zia was confined at her Gulshan residence after she had announced joining the “March for Democracy.”
On that occasion too, some sand-laden trucks were stationed outside her residence and journalists too were also barred from entering her residence. Just like yesterday, Khaleda could not join that programme either.
However, one difference is that Khaleda, who was struggling to control her anger while talking to journalists one year ago, yesterday appeared much more calm and composed.
