‘Anti-State Activities’: 54 BNP leaders, activists held at Banani Club

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

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

Preferring anonymity, a Banani Club staffer told The Daily Star that the arrestees were holding a "social programme" followed by dinner there. He, however, declined to say anything further.

Mustafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Banani Police Station, said that a team of the Detective Branch of police along with members of the local police station raided the club around 11:30pm on Sunday on information that BNP men were planning "anti-state" and "subversive activities".

Following the raid, a case was filed against the BNP men with Banani Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act, said Ikramul Haque Halder, a sub-inspector of DB (Gulshan Division) and also the complainant of the case.

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.

Yesterday, a Dhaka court granted two-day remand for each of the 52 arrestees.

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.

"If the government smells conspiracy or sabotage in every political activity and even in social programmes, then it can impose ban on all political activities of the opposition parties.

"Banani Club is an important establishment. It is not a secret place. Can sabotage be planned by 54 persons in an open place?" he said.

Kamruzzaman alleged that police framed the BNP men in Dhaka like they are doing elsewhere in the country.

Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a press statement condemned the arrests saying that the party leaders and activists were taking part in a social programme.

He said that efforts are being made continuously to establish "one-party rule" by imprisoning BNP men.

Contacted, SI Ikramul said they conducted the drive and made the arrests as they had information that the opposition men were planning "sabotage".

Asked whether police have any proof of the plan, the complainant said planning is not a visible thing.

He also admitted that police didn't recover anything from the arrestees.