Mahmudur Rahman Manna has been detained by police from a house in Dhaka, his family says. The Nagarik Oikya convener’s daughter Nilima Manna said her father was whisked away by plainclothesmen from her cousin Shahanama Sharmin’s Banani house around 3:30am on Tuesday. But police’s Gulshan zone Assistant Commissioner Nur Alam told bdnews24.com that they had no such information. The development comes a day after leaked phone conversations revealed he was plotting to oust the Hasina government through violence, murder and seeking meetings with senior military officers. Audio clips of telephone conversations between Manna, BNP leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka, and an unidentified person revealed his plans. The former DUCSU VP told Khoka that a few deaths could destabilise the government if a clash over occupying the Dhaka University’s residential halls could be engineered. In the conversation with the unidentified person, the Nagarik Oikya convener expressed his readiness to sit with generals to facilitate military intervention. He is one of the ‘concerned citizens’ who have been pushing for a dialogue between the sparring Awami League and BNP to resolve the current political crisis. Manna also warned of Jan 1, 2007-like military takeover if their bid bore no fruit. –bdnews24.com
