Fresh drives ahead of local polls panic BNP leaders [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Fresh drives ahead of local polls panic BNP leaders

Local November 08, 2015

BNP leaders and activists are in panic as the joint-force began fresh drives across the country ahead municipal elections likely to be held in December.
The police claimed that these were regular drives against criminals.
But the common people were harassed across the country in the name of the joint drive, said leaders of left leaning and other parties.
But BNP and the other parties outside the government said that that their potential candidates were being targeted ahead of the elections.
They said drives were on to arrest their leaders and workers from their houses.
On Friday night the latest joint-forces’ drive began.
The joint forces include the police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Armed Police Battalion, Rapid Action Battalion and the Coast Guard.
Panic increased among the BNP leaders and workers after prime minister Sheikh Hasina and home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal recently accused BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia of indulging in secret killings from abroad.
BNP is concerned over the joint-forces’ drives being politically used to curb the activities of the parties outside the government ahead of the municipal elections, party spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon told New Age.
Ruling Awami League already began campaigns to get their potential nominees win when rival BNP leaders and activists are on the run.
The AL led government recently amended the law for holding all the local elections on partisan lines.
Most BNP leaders favour contesting the local polls instead of leaving the field free to AL with its declining popularity.
But BNP leaders said that their potential nominees were not being allowed to stay home.
During Friday night’s joint drives in 13 districts at least 850 people, mostly activists of BNP and Jamaat were arrested.
The arrested included 481 from Chittagong, 75 from Bogra, 53 from Satkhira, 60 from Jessore, 50 from Gaibandha, 73 from Faridpur, 37 from Chapainawabganj, 12 from Rangpur, five each from Jhenaidha and Noakhali and three from Rajshahi.
New Age correspondents reported that the joint forces raided the houses of the leaders of the opposition parties though the probable nominees of BNP and Jamaat were either in jails or were on run fearing victimization by the joint forces.
The assistant inspector general of police for operations, Anisur Rahman, told New Age Saturday afternoon that the joint-forces comprising of the police, Armed Police Battalion, BGB and RAB had launched countrywide ‘regular drives against miscreants’.
New Age correspondent in Chittagong reported that at least 481 people were arrested during the joint drive on Friday night and that most of those nabbed were leader and activists of BNP and Jamaat.
Chittagong additional superintendent of police Nayeemul Hasan said that the drives were conducted in Satkania, Shitakunda, Mirsarai, Lohagarah, Bashkhali, Patia and Fatikchhari upazilas.
He said that only those wanted in criminal cases were arrested.
Police officers from the outlying districts said that Detective Branch officers were also taking part in the drives.
Gaibandha additional police superintendent Faruqe Hossain said that only those accused of subversive activities were being arrested.
Police officers in Bogra told New Age that the arrests in the district aimed at keeping law and order ahead of the prime minister’s visit on November 12.
Most of the SPs said that only those involved in subversive activities were being nabbed.
BGB deputy commanding officer Major Iqbal Akter said two platoons of BGB troops began the drives in Sirajganj Friday night to maintain law and order and arrest the wanted men of BNP and Jamaat.
In separate statements, Ganatantrik Bam Morcha and Bangladesh Khet Mojur Samiti on Saturday said that their good organisers and common people were being harassed to force them to pay.