After foiling a press meet of pro-BNP professionals’ electoral platform Adarsha Dhaka Andolon, plainclothes police on Tuesday arrested its member secretary and BNP chairperson’s adviser Shawkat Mahmud from the city’s Panthapath area. Law enforcers obstructed Shawkat Mahmud, also the president of a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), as he joined a programme of the platform at Samarai Convention Centre around 11:15am.
Later, members of the Detective Branch (DB) of police detained him and took him to their Mintoo Road Headquarters in a microbus.
Adarsha Dhaka Andolon was scheduled to arrange a press conference to project various alleged irregularities, vote fraud and manipulation during the Dhaka North City Corporation election on April 28 last. Contacted, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Muntasirul Islam said Shawkat Mahmud was arrested in three cases for arson attacks on vehicles, vandalising vehicles and crude bomb blasts in the city’s Jatrabari area. Police also barred the activists of Adarsha Dhaka Andolon to enter the Convention Centre and foiled it, organisers said. Officer-in-charge (investigation) of Kalabagan Police Station Abidur Rahman told reporters that they did not allow holding the programme as the Samarai Convention authorities cancelled the programme. Sub-inspector Yakub Ali, who was discharging his duties in front of the gate of the convention centre, said they were deployed there to maintain law and order and ensure public security. Prof Emajuddin Ahmed, convener of the platform, said the government has demonstrated its utter undemocratic attitude by not allowing even a non-political organisation to hold a programme.
Denouncing Shawkat Mahmud’s arrest, Emajuddin said, “We wouldn’t have come here if the government had earlier informed us that they would not allow us. We want to urge the government to be aware of citizens’ rights.” Senior journalist Mahfuzullah showed reporters the papers of the convention authorities permitting them to arrange the programme.
He claimed that they also informed police authorities concerned earlier about the programme, but they did not give any objection to it. Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury said denying an organisation to hold a programme by non-political organisation cannot be a democratic attitude. Alleging that a suffocating situation has been created in the country due to the government’s undemocratic attitude, he said such a situation had prevailed in the country 40 years back. “If this situation continues it may invite immense sufferings for the nation.”
