Staff Reporter :Security was beefed up around ‘besieged’ BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s political office at Gulshan in the city on Sunday, as a large number of people came in the city on the occasion of Akherai Munajat of the Bishwa Ijtema. Deployment of security forces was increased in the area from the morning. Live cameras were also set in front of the office to monitor the movement of the commuters. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) set up the cameras. Riot police were deployed along with regular forces, creating a human-barrier on both sides of Road 86 of Gulshan-2, where the office is located. Traffic-movement in the area was regulated by the police. Only local residents were allowed to criss-cross the street.Not only in the Gulshan office area, the traffic movement in adjacent areas, including Baridhara, Banani and Mohakhali, was also regulated by the police by setting up police check-posts in several points. Police did not allow dwellers without ID cards or checking. Police said, the security measures were tightened so that no one can take any chance as like thousands of devotees entered Dhaka after the Bishwa Ijtema. The second phase of the three-day Bishwa Ijtema ended on Sunday noon. Khaleda Zia has been confined in her office since January 3 night. She spent her 16th consecutive day in the office on Sunday. Having failed to come out of the office to join a planned rally in the city on January 5, the BNP Chief announced the ongoing countrywide blockade programme from January 6. Meanwhile, a delegation team of pro-BNP lawyers visited the Gulshan office and met Khaleda Zia. They went there in the evening.
