54 BNP leaders, activists arrested as per law: IGP

Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun yesterday said the recent arrests of 54 BNP leaders and activists from a city club were per the law.

Asked whether dining at a club is a crime and what kind of "anti-state" and "subversive activities" they were planning there, the IGP said a case was filed in this regard and the FIR mentions the charges slapped on them.

"Further investigation will bring out more," he said while replying to questions from journalists after a programme at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in Dhaka.

When the IGP was questioned why the arrests were made without any warrants and whether it was done to control the political activities of the opposition, he said police can arrest without a warrant and it was done in accordance with the law.

Detectives picked up 54 leaders and activists of Munshiganj BNP from the capital's Banani Club on March 20, over allegations of planning "anti-state" activities including "sabotage".

However, BNP said party men were attending a social programme there followed by dinner, and alleged that police implicated them in a false case to harass them.

Following the raid, a case was filed against the BNP men at Banani Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

According to the case statement, the arrestees, along with some others, were preparing to sabotage government establishments and vehicles to unseat the government, which is punishable under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Fifty-six BNP men were accused in the case. Two of them are on the run.

The arrestees are mostly BNP leaders and activists from Munshiganj's Sirajdikhan and Sreenagar upazilas. Among them is Momin Ali, former Sreenagar upazila chairman and also a BNP lawmaker candidate in the 2018 general election.

Kamruzzaman Ratan, member secretary of Munshiganj BNP, said Momin Ali hosted the dinner for the party men ahead of his scheduled trip to Saudi Arabia for performing Umrah.

Meanwhile, regarding updates on whether fugitive accused Rabiul Islam alias Arav Khan was detained by Dubai police, the IGP said, "We don't have any such information whether he [Arav] was detained there. We are communicating with them [Interpol]."