Police ‘storm’ Annie’s house, arrest him in dead of night

BNP leader Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie was arrested at his home in Dhanmondi early yesterday.

The BNP alleged that police acted like robbers when they broke into the flat around 2:00am and took Annie, the party's publicity secretary, to the police station.

When police took him to a court hours later, Annie said police hit him, shoved him around and mentally tortured him after taking him to the police station.

"I am neither a thief, nor a robber. Why would they break into my house, and drag me down the stairs in the middle of the night?" Annie asked, breaking down in tears.

Contacted, Parvez Islam, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Police Station, said police were respectful towards Annie, adding, however, that Annie had misbehaved with the officers.

The OC admitted that police broke a door lock to enter the flat because Annie did not open the door.

Annie is accused of assaulting policemen and blasting crude bombs in front of Dhaka City College on May 23, he said, adding that two arrest warrants were recently issued for him in Lakshmipur.

"This government is on its way to hold a one-sided election by arresting active BNP leaders and accusing them in false cases."

— Mirza Fakhrul BNP Secretary General

At the court, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rashidul Alam placed Annie on  four-day remand in the case filed with Dhanmondi Police Station after Sub-inspector Shahidee Hasan appealed for seven-day remand.

Annie's lawyer Taherul Islam Tawhid in his application for bail said his client was falsely accused.

Upon hearing both the sides, the magistrate turned down the plea for bail and placed Annie on remand.

Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir condemned the arrest.

"The manner in which he was arrested is proof that this government is on its way to hold a one-sided election by arresting active BNP leaders and accusing them in false cases," he told reporters.