Ehsanul Haque Jasim :After 19 hours of disconnection of electricity supply to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office, Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO) restored it at 10:00pm on Saturday. The authorities concerned disconnected the electricity supply to BNP chairperson office in the early hours of Saturday. Later, they also cut off Internet, fax, cable and phone connections to the office. The authorities also threatened to cut off remaining utility services, such as, water and food supplies to the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office. It is for the first time in the country’s history that the government had disconnected power supply of the office of a major opposition political party leader. A lineman of DESCO who disconnected line said that he did it following the order of the Gulshan Thana Police. But a senior police official told The New Nation that it is not the duty of the police. Their duty is to restore law and order, he said. The Gulshan office sank into darkness for about one and a half hours in the midnight, as the power was restored using private generator after 4:00am. When the DESCO cut the power line, Khaleda Zia was awake and inquired anxiously what happened since the surrounding buildings still had power, said a staff of the office.Hours after disconnecting the power supply, the authorities severed Internet and satellite television connections to the office in the morning. The staff found the cable network snapped when they turned on the TV at about 10:00 am and the Internet connection was also disconnected since that time. The office staffs were not getting access to internet using GrameenPhone and Robi modems. Journalists covering the events also failed to send their reports to office via Internet from in front of the office. Later, the phone network was also jammed. The land phones and mobile phones at the office could not be reached from outside from noon. The operators of mobile phone companies, including Grameenphone, Robi and Banglalink, suspended their networks from the office area following the direction of the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC), sources said. The actions came several hours after Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan’s statement at a meeting earlier on Friday threatening to confine Khaleda Zia and cut power, water and food supply to her office so that she “will starve to death” if she does not withdraw hartal-blockade by February 2.Alongside with the ongoing countrywide nonstop blockade, the BNP-led 20-party alliance called a fresh 72-hour countrywide hartal beginning today (Sunday), a day before beginning of the SSC examinations. The Gulshan office has been Khaleda Zia’s residence for about a month, as she has been staying there since January 3. Police had confined her to the office, as she was scheduled to hold a grand rally in the city on January 5 on the first anniversary of the January-5 one-sided polls. Having failed to come out of the office, Khaleda Zia announced the nonstop blockade on January 5. Sixteen days after the barricade of the office, the police withdrew the barricade on January 19. But the BNP chief did not leave the office, as she decided to continue staying there until her key demand — fresh election under a non-party government system — is met. Khaleda Zia’s press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan said, no one in the office could sleep at night following disconnection of the electricity. Sharmila Rahman, wife of Khaleda Zia’s late son Arafat Rahman Koko, with her two daughters is also staying in the office. Along with the staff, several BNP woman leaders are also staying there with the BNP chief.Maruf Kamal Khan in the evening told the reporters that the 69-year-old Khaleda Zia was shocked and astonished over the move of the government. “The move is an unprecedented incident,” said Khaleda Zia. Strongly condemning the move to stop the utility services to her office, she termed it cruel and the worst behaviour of the government. “I have no words to react. A civil government can’t do this. It is beyond the imagination in a civil society,” she said. She also said that cutting off power, Internet and cable lines and phone connection is violation of civil and human rights. Gulshan office sources said that after the shutdown of utility services, Khaleda Zia is now preparing for the worst, as the government might cut off water and gas supplies. Khaleda Zia won’t leave the office despite the government continues such moves and imposes more pressure on her, the sources added. Following the actions, Khaleda Zia’s staffs are now discussing what emergency supplies need to be stocked up. “Though four drums of fuel have been brought, we are not sure whether the authorities would allow us later to do so in the coming days,” said a staff. If Khaleda Zia sticks to her plan to stay in the office, she would have to accept that she would have to do without these services, he added. The BNP strongly protested and condemned the government’s move. The party joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed in a statement said that the government has imposed ‘Martial Democracy’ in the country. He urged all to continue the ongoing movement. He asked the government to provide electricity and other utility facilities. Otherwise, the government will face dire consequence, he warned. Meanwhile, deployment of police and members of other law enforcing agencies was increased since Saturday evening. Police arrested BNP’s executive committee member Khaleda Yasmin and six women lawyers from in front of the office in evening. Lawyer of the Supreme Court Dr Arifa Jesmin Nahin, one of the arrestees, told The New Nation that police arrested them, as they went in Gulshan with dry food and candle for Khaleda Zia. Later police also arrested six other women leaders from the spot. Some pro-BNP professionals and journalist leaders visited the Gulshan office amid strong vigil of the police. They were former VC of Dhaka University Prof Dr Emajuddin Ahmed, journalist Mahfuz Ullah and president of a faction of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Poet Abdul Hye Shikder, among others. After coming out of the office, Prof. Emajuddin Ahmed told reporters that power was disconnected with an attempt to kill Khaleda Zia.
