BNP top leaders arrested, activists worried

BNP's leaders and activists are worried about the senior leaders of the party being arrested one after the other. Most of the leaders are in hiding at present, in order to avoid arrest. There is concern in the party as to what direction the movement will take in the days to come if things continue in this manner.

The arrest of the important BNP presidium member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, after the arrest of the party's secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has particularly been a cause for concern among the field level leaders and workers. Amir Khasru is the head of BNP's international affairs committee. He maintains liaison with the outside world on behalf of BNP. Party leaders feel his arrest will hamper this line of communication.

The arrest of the head of BNP's media cell, Zahir Uddin Swapan, has also caused anxiety for the party men. Zahir Uddin is involved in intellectual activities. They are concerned about the speedy arrest of even a leader like him in a case regarding the 28 October incidents. He was made the convener of BNP's media cell a year or so ago. The media cell under his leadership became extremely active on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Many of the leaders and activists say that the arrest of Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Zahir Uddin Swapan is particularly significant on two heads. One was arrested to sever BNP's international connections. The other was to put a dampener of BNP's movement and programmes being publicised in the media, including the social media.

Other than Amir Khasru and Zahir Uddin, several central leader of BNP including standing committee member Mirza Abbas, three joint secretaries general Syed Moazzem Hossain, Mojibur Rahman Sarwar and Khairul Kabir, organising secretary Kuddus Talukdar and several others have been arrested. Over the past two days the police have also arrested several joint conveners of Dhaka city north and south BNP, member secretaries and the presidents and general secretaries of at least 20 districts. Concern has emerged under circumstances as to what direction the 'one-point' movement to topple the government will take.

However, in a statement issued yesterday, Friday, BNP's senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, no strategy of the government to suppress the movement will succeed. BNP's leadership cannot be weakened.

BNP has alleged that the government is trying to suppress the movement by arresting top leaders down to the leaders and activists at a ground level. Sources in the party say, over the past 24 hours (till Friday afternoon), over 292 leaders and activists of BNP, its affiliated and front organisations, have been arrested. In this span of time, 11 cases have been filed, accusing over 1,045 BNP leaders and activists.

In a virtual press briefing on Friday afternoon, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, the 'one-point' movement will carry one until victory is achieved. Referring to the 48-hour peaceful blockade programme starting from Sunday morning, he said they would continue the 48-hour blockade peacefully and not walk into any trap of the government.

Rizvi said, moves are on for another one-sided election. The government has taken up another innovative mission to keep BNP away from the election. He claimed, Awami League has targetted around 20 million people using the social safety net card. They are using these beneficiaries to create gatherings where officials of the administration turn up too.