BNP's Naya Paltan office still locked, offices open in 8 dists only

The central office of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has been under lock and key since 28 October. The party’s temporary and permanent offices also remain closed in all but eight districts across the country.

The BNP has been waging anti-government for quite sometimes while the closure of the party offices started following the events of 28 October when their grand rally in Dhaka was foiled and two people including a policeman died in BNP-police clashes. Police then launched nationwide crackdown on the party leaders and activists, resulting in the closure of the party offices across the country.

BNP has 82 organisational districts, including 64 districts. There are city and district unit offices in the divisional towns. Big districts are organisationally divided into south and north units. Sometimes, residence and personal establishments of the party leaders are used as the party office in 60 districts and the party runs no office in four districts.

Prothom Alo’s Staff Correspondents and Correspondents visited the party’s permanent and makeshift (party leaders’ houses) offices across the country on Saturday and apparently found the offices closed in 52 districts. Some offices never opened. Some offices were opened by office assistants, but no leaders-activists visit these and no organisational activities are run either. Besides, police also patrol in 13 offices of the BNP regularly or irregularly.

It has been learned that 65 offices of BNP’s 80 organisational districts are apparently closed. Party leaders said there is no option to keep the party offices open as active leaders at central, districts and union levels went into hiding fearing arrest.

BNP’s Chattogram city office is located on Nasiman Bhaban in Kajir Dewri. It has been closed since 28 October. It was opened once on 14 December to observe the Martyr Intellectual Day and was closed afterward.

BNP leader Idris Ali, who is in-charge of the Chattogram city office, told Prothom Alo police are arresting the party leaders and activists from home without warrants, and for this reason, party leaders and activists have been strategic to observe the patry programmes.

Chattogram Metropolitan Police additional deputy commissioner (media and public relation) Spina Rani Pramanik, however, claimed police were harassing none except those facing lawsuit.

The main gate of the BNP’s central office in the capital’s Naya Paltan has been locked since the night of 28 October after the party’s grand rally was foiled on that day. The party brought out a Victory Day procession on 16 December but did not open the office.

On 29 December, police set up strong security in front of the office and the Crime Scene Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) cordoned off the office with yellow barrier tape. Two days later, police installed a barbed-fence barricade, which was removed on 18 November.

It is still unclear who locked the central office of BNP. Police said they did not do it while BNP insisted police did it. Visiting the Naya Paltan area several times over the past couple of days, police were seen cordoning off the BNP office.

Paltan police station officer-in-charge Monir Hossain Mollah told Prothom Alo there are no police in front of the BNP’s office, but forces stay in the nearby area for security reasons.

The offices of BNP have been found open in eight districts – Panchagarh, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Rajshahi, Meherpur, Feni, Cox's Bazar and Rangamati. An office assistant opens the Dinajpur office.

The Rajshahi office is opened regularly and party leaders-activists visit there.

Residences or personal offices of the BNP leaders were used as the party office in several districts as district offices remain closed. Party leaders-activists used to visit those offices and they no longer did so.

The offices of BNP’s Cumilla city and district south units are in Kandirpar of Cumilla city near to the Victoria College Road. This one-room office has been closed since 29 October. The personal office of BNP’s Cumilla district south unit convener Amin Ur Rashid Yeasin was used as an alternative one, but it was also found locked on Saturday.

BNP’s Cumilla division organising secretary Mostak Mia told Prothom Alo, “The personal political office of Yeasin is also closed fearing arrest.”

Many central leaders of BNP including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were arrested on 29 October and afterwards, and they are behind bars now.

According to police and court sources, as well as reports sent by Prothom Alo’s Correspondents, a total of 1,497 leaders and activists of BNP have been sentenced in different terms so far.

BNP claimed nearly 23,000 leaders and activists of the party have been arrested as of Sunday since the last week of October, and more than 670 cases were filed during this period. Awami League leaders, however, brushed aside the BNP’s claim on such a huge number of arrests.

The Rangamati office of BNP also remained closed. BNP’s Rangamati district unit organising secretary Jasim Uddin told Prothom Alo that most of the leaders and activists are accused in various lawsuits, and they have gone into hiding fearing arrest. It has not been possible to gather at the office and organise any programme there, he added.