14 BNP men held as police ramp up search
At least fourteen people were detained as police stepped up its searches in various places of Dhaka and Manikganj districts since Thursday night ahead of the BNP’s rally, to be held in Dhaka on Saturday.
Police set up check posts at the entry points of the capital in Aminbazar, as well as in Birulia of Savar upazila and Dhamrail upazila.
Visiting Aminbazar on Friday morning, forces from Savar police station were seen intercepting vehicles bound for Dhaka at a check post on Dhaka-Aricha highway in front of the 20-bed hospital and quizzing passengers and drivers.
Intelligence agencies members in plainclothes were seen assiting police during the searches.
Savar model police station inspector (investigation) Abdur Rashid told Prothom Alo police are searching the suspects so that none can create chaos centring the political parties’ rallies on Saturday in Dhaka and these are the parts of our regular search operations.
In Dhamrai, police set up check post in Islampur area, as well as quizzing and searching passengers on vehicles bound for Dhaka since Friday morning.
Dhamrai police station inspector (operation) Nirmul Kumar Das said, “This is a part of our regular activities.”
Meanwhile on Thursday, police also arrested five people in Savar and two in Ashulia.
According to Ashulai police station officer-in-charge (OC) SM Kamruzzaman and Savar model police station OC Chandra Shaha told Prothom Alo all of the detainees face charges in various cases.
In Manikganj, police also set up check posts in Manikganj and arrested seven leaders and activists of BNP from their houses.
Police were seen searching vehicles bound for Dhaka on the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Manijganj bus stand area at 10:00pm on Thursday and 9:00am on Friday.
Police also set up check posts in Dalla area, an entry point of Dhaka, on Dhaka-Hemayetpur area, as well as searches Dhaka-bound vehicles and quizzed passengers.
Manikganj Sadar police station Abdur Rauf Sarkar said they set up check posts as part of their regular duties and arrested people facing specific charges.
BNP’s Manikganj unit general secretary SA Jinnah Kabir said police are harassing their leaders and activists setting up check posts, and arresting them from homes ahead of the party’s Dhaka rally.