Reza Mahmud :
Police frequently arresting BNP leaders and activists from its scheduled programmes in the capital and elsewhere across the country since the party chief Khaleda Zia was jailed in a graft case last month.
The BNP central leaders have alleged that the police are arresting their important leaders who are capable to organize field level activists for implementation of agitation programmes.
Besides, police also continued overnight raids on houses of BNP leaders and activists and arrested scores of them all over the country, they further alleged.
Meanwhile, the political analysts marked such police action as a bad example for democracy as the next national polls is nearly on the doorstep.
“This year is calling as election year. A ‘level playing field’ is being demanded for all political parties from every quarter. But, we have seen the police are foiling the BNP’s peaceful programmes frequently. It is not good for democracy,” Badiul Alam Majumdar, the founder-Secretary of SHUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance) told The New Nation yesterday.
The government should refrain from such actions, he said.
He said, “If police wanted to arrest any accused, they can do that but it should not foil any democratic programme of any party.”
He asked to ensure obstacle free environment to perform
democratic activities. He also urged to make level playing field for all political parties in the country.
When contacted, political analyst Professor Dr. Md. Sharif Uddin of Jahangirnagar University told The New Nation, “The government should welcome the BNP’s peaceful movement instead of obstructions. It is must to stop police action in peaceful programmes of any political party for the sake of democracy.”
On the other hand, the BNP leaders are condemning such actions of the government.
They warned that the government is pushing the situation towards darkness by provoking the peaceful agitations.
“They (police) are arresting those leaders who are capable to organize our party men from grassroots level to implement our announced agitation programmes. It is totally anti-democratic steps. They are trying to establish one party BAKSHAL rule again,” Mirza Abbas, a Standing Committee Member of BNP told The New Nation yesterday. He warned that the government would not be able to stay in power for long.
“It is not good gesture for democracy. The government should stop it soon for the sake of democracy. They should think that no one is able to cling power for long,” Mirza Abbas said.
On Tuesday, plainclothes policemen have detained Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal President Shafiul Bari Babu from the BNP’s sit-in programme in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka.
On Thursday, police attacked and picked Chhatradal Dhaka North Unit President Mizanur Rahman Raj from the BNP’s sit-in programme in front of the National Press Club.
On February 14, police chased BNP Joint-Secretary General and the Dhaka South City unit President, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel from the same venue while the party observing its token hunger strike but failed to detain him.
But the programme swooped by the police action.
BNP leaders also accused the government of arresting some other leaders and activists from its peaceful programmes without any provocation after the party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s landing in the jail on February 8.
Police frequently arresting BNP leaders and activists from its scheduled programmes in the capital and elsewhere across the country since the party chief Khaleda Zia was jailed in a graft case last month.
The BNP central leaders have alleged that the police are arresting their important leaders who are capable to organize field level activists for implementation of agitation programmes.
Besides, police also continued overnight raids on houses of BNP leaders and activists and arrested scores of them all over the country, they further alleged.
Meanwhile, the political analysts marked such police action as a bad example for democracy as the next national polls is nearly on the doorstep.
“This year is calling as election year. A ‘level playing field’ is being demanded for all political parties from every quarter. But, we have seen the police are foiling the BNP’s peaceful programmes frequently. It is not good for democracy,” Badiul Alam Majumdar, the founder-Secretary of SHUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance) told The New Nation yesterday.
The government should refrain from such actions, he said.
He said, “If police wanted to arrest any accused, they can do that but it should not foil any democratic programme of any party.”
He asked to ensure obstacle free environment to perform
democratic activities. He also urged to make level playing field for all political parties in the country.
When contacted, political analyst Professor Dr. Md. Sharif Uddin of Jahangirnagar University told The New Nation, “The government should welcome the BNP’s peaceful movement instead of obstructions. It is must to stop police action in peaceful programmes of any political party for the sake of democracy.”
On the other hand, the BNP leaders are condemning such actions of the government.
They warned that the government is pushing the situation towards darkness by provoking the peaceful agitations.
“They (police) are arresting those leaders who are capable to organize our party men from grassroots level to implement our announced agitation programmes. It is totally anti-democratic steps. They are trying to establish one party BAKSHAL rule again,” Mirza Abbas, a Standing Committee Member of BNP told The New Nation yesterday. He warned that the government would not be able to stay in power for long.
“It is not good gesture for democracy. The government should stop it soon for the sake of democracy. They should think that no one is able to cling power for long,” Mirza Abbas said.
On Tuesday, plainclothes policemen have detained Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal President Shafiul Bari Babu from the BNP’s sit-in programme in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka.
On Thursday, police attacked and picked Chhatradal Dhaka North Unit President Mizanur Rahman Raj from the BNP’s sit-in programme in front of the National Press Club.
On February 14, police chased BNP Joint-Secretary General and the Dhaka South City unit President, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel from the same venue while the party observing its token hunger strike but failed to detain him.
But the programme swooped by the police action.
BNP leaders also accused the government of arresting some other leaders and activists from its peaceful programmes without any provocation after the party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s landing in the jail on February 8.
