ANTI-MILITANT CRACKDOWN: Several hundred detained on first day

The police have detained several hundred people, mostly activists of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, on Friday, the first day of the nationwide police crackdown on militants.
According to reports filed by our correspondents from around the country, the detainees also include fugitives, local drug dealers and addicts, miscreants and accused in cases of political violence.
In the wake of recent targeted killings, the police launched the weeklong countrywide anti-militant combing operation on Friday early hours.
Asked whether the drive would arrest only militants, the police headquarters deputy inspector general, Shahidur Rahman, told New Age that they would also arrest anyone accused or wanted in criminal offences.
The police headquarters, however, could not confirm the total number of detainees during the operation.
The BNP on Friday feared that the government may suppress the opposition on the pretext of carrying out a crackdown on extremists across the country.
‘The crackdown is a strategy with which they earlier suppressed people’s movement. We fear they will again oppress the opposition in the name of conducting a crackdown,’ said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
According New Age correspondents posted at different districts and news agencies, until Friday evening 68 were detained in Tangail, 100 in Dinajpur, 67 in Kushtia, 48 in Satkhira, 34 in Rajshahi, 24 in Magura, 61 in Sylhet, 47 in Narail, 38 in Brahmanbaria, 27 in Natore, 25 in Feni, 27 in Jhenaidah and 10 in Munshiganj.
In the wake of the recent spate of targeted killings, including that of SP Babul Akter’s wife on Sunday, the police department took the decision to crackdown at a meeting held at the police headquarters, with inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Islam in the chair, on Thursday.
In Feni, assistant superintendent of police Shamsul Alam said that the police arrested 25 people including a leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal. The detainees included fugitives accused in different incidents of mugging and subversive acts, the police officer added.
In Satkhira, police arrested two Jamaat men from Satkhira Sadar and Debhata upazilas, and 33 others from Kolaroa, Tala, Kaliganj, Ashashuni, Shyamnagar and Patkelghata upazilas. Among the arrestees, all except two Jamaat men were accused in several cases, Kumkum Begum, sub-inspector of Detective Branch of police said.
In Natore, at least 15 alleged criminals were arrested last night as part of the crackdown, said Munshi Sahabuddin, additional superintendent of police. Of them, assistant superintendant of Police Rafiqul Islam conducted a separate drive and arrested the five people, one of whom was arrested for his suspected involvement with militancy. The officer said that all the arrestees were accused in various cases, including of mugging and extortion.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net