BNP leader handed over to police after 17 hrs of detention

Manikganj district BNP's Senior Vice-President Ataur Rahman Ata was finally handed over to the district Sadar Police Station, 17 hours after his detention at Aminbazar checkpoint in Dhaka.

Police also detained 26 BNP leaders and activists at Ashulia checkpoint yesterday while they were ahead of BNP's Dhaka rally, our Savar correspondent reports quoting police.

SA Kabir Zinnah, secretary of Manikganj district BNP told the Daily Star that Ataur was held by police at checkpoint in Aminbazar around 10:30am yesterday.

He was handed over to Manikganj Sadar Police Station around 3:00am today after keeping him for 17 hours, first at the checkpoint in Aminbazar and later in Savar Model Police Station, said Zinnah.

Manikganj police are yet to disclose why he was detained, he said.

Zinnah accused that police detained Ataur to prevent him from joining the rally.

Ataur is on bail in all cases filed against him, he added.

Dipok Chandra Saha, officer-in-charge of Savar Model Police Station, told The Daily Star that Ataur was detained as a suspect without giving any details. He later was handed over to Manikganj Police Station.

Contacted, Abdur Rouf, officer-in-charge of Manikganj Police Station, said they received Ataur last night.

Meanwhile, Tangail district BNP general secretary Farhad Iqbal told The Daily Star that police unnecessarily detained 26 leaders and activists at Ashulia check post around 10:00am yesterday on their way to the rally.

They were handed over to Ghatail Police Station around 12:00am. They were later sent to court after showing arrest in an old case, he added.

Lokman Hossen, officer-in-charge of Tangail's Ghatail Police Station told The Daily Star that around 1:00am, a total 26 people detained by Ashulia police station were handed over to the Ghatail police.

They are accused in several cases earlier filed against them with the police station.