Over 450 BNP activists held in Dhaka, adjoining dists

Police yesterday raided houses of BNP activists to arrest them as the party was preparing to hold a rally in the capital today.

Mirpur police detained more than 100 BNP men from a building in Shenpara last night, said local sources. 

Imran, a sub-inspector of Mirpur Police Station, said the raid was going on as of 11:00pm.

Over 200 people arrested in the capital on Thursday were sent to jail by two courts yesterday.

Police arrested most of them as suspected accused in cases filed last year and this year even though their names were not mentioned in the complaints.

Officers also arrested 76 opposition activists in Gazipur, 45 in Narayanganj, seven in Manikganj and three Shibir men in Narsingdi.

Police and Rab members beefed up checking travellers on roads and at almost all the entries to Dhaka. Law enforcers also set up checkpoints at different parts of the capital.

On the highways, law enforcers in uniform and in plainclothes stopped vehicles coming towards Dhaka and asked passengers why they were going to Dhaka. In some cases, police rummaged through their bags, checked their ID cards and even went through the content on their mobile phones.

Checkpoints were set up on Station Road and in the College Gate area in Tongi. On the outskirts of the capital, there were checkpoints on Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-Sylhet highways.

Buses did not leave Mymensingh for Dhaka since yesterday morning, leaving travellers in limbo.  

"Me and my wife boarded a Dhaka-bound bus from Netrakona's Purbadhala in the morning to go to Savar. But after reaching Mymensingh, the crew said their bus will not go to Dhaka," Solaiman Hossain, a garment factory worker, told The Daily Star.

People also expressed their frustration because there was no prior notice about the suspension of services.

Contacted, Mahbubur Rahman, secretary general of Mymensingh District Motor Owners' Association, said very few buses left for Dhaka because most of the owners feared vandalism on the roads.

In Narsingdi's Monohardi and Narayanganj's Rupganj, at least 11 houses of BNP leaders and activists were vandalised allegedly by ruling Awami League men on Thursday night.

Victims of the vandalism in Rupganj alleged that local ruling party leaders led the 35-40 attackers. They added that the attackers held four BNP men and handed them over to police.

Rupganj police said they had not heard about attacks on people's houses.

In Savar, more than 200 Jubo League men holding sticks marched on Dhaka-Aricha Highway and took position near Thana Bus Stand.

Ashulia Thana Jubo League Convener Kabir Hossain said the men had sticks to keep the BNP-Jamaat from creating anarchy.

Today, the AL is supposed to hold a rally near Baitul Mukarram Mosque, which is only 1.5 kilometres from BNP's chosen rally venue at Nayapaltan. Jamaat also vowed to hold a rally at Shapla Chattar, which is not far from either place.

Some of BNP's like-minded parties also said they would hold rallies around the area.

As fear of violence gripped city dwellers, traffic became thin in the evening yesterday.

Faruk Hossain, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said officers were arresting those who are accused in cases.