Clashes, arson mark first day of blockade

BNP acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's overnight stay inside the National Press Club within police ring eventually ended in his arrest on Tuesday afternoon amid a melee kicked up by pro-government protesters.

A spot account of the scenes said plainclothes policemen picked him up just as he stepped out of the club premises after addressing an impromptu press conference, where he renewed their alliance's call for carrying on the current spell of movement.

Blaming the ruling Awami League for what he said destroying democracy and freedom of speech, he also said the ongoing blockade would continue until their demand for holding free, fair and participatory national elections under a neutral caretaker administration is met.

Shawkat Mahmood, former president of the press club, and Ruhul Amin Gazi, former president of one faction of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), were among others present at the press conference.

After a long wait, officers of the Detective Branch (DB) of police stormed into the BNP leader's car minutes before getting out of the press club premise and drove him straight to the DB headquarters.

Assistant Commissioner (Ramna Zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Shiblee Noman confirmed his arrest.

The police official said that the politician might be produced before a court Wednesday (today) with remand prayer in two cases.

The cases were filed with Motijheel and Paltan police stations on charges of vandalising vehicles and preventing the police from discharging their duties in the areas on January 4.

Fakhrul was made prime accused in the cases, according to him.

Additional number of law-enforcers both in uniform and plainclothes had taken position in and around the press club with prison van and water cannon since Monday afternoon to pick up the BNP leader who had gone there to attend a programme organised by pro-BNP professionals at the Press Club auditorium Monday.

Since then, he had been inside the press club to avert arrest and spent the night there amid protest by pro-government journalists in the press club compound and other activists outside.

The protestors chanted slogans against the move by the pro-BNP journalists for giving shelter to a person without journalism background, causing a tense situation there.  

Prime Minister's information adviser Iqbal Sobhan Cowdhury and other union leaders addressed and pacified the protesting journalists.         

Just before his detention, Mr Fakhrul held a press conference at the VIP auditorium of the club where he called upon people from all walks of life to come forward and join in the ongoing "democracy-saving movement" under the leadership of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.

The detention came on the first day of a nationwide indefinite transport blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20 party alliance Monday.

The blockade call came after law enforcers had allegedly resisted holding a rally in the capital to protest the first anniversary of the much-talked-about 10th parliamentary elections held on January 5, 2014.

BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia also remained confined to her Gulshan office ringed by members of the law-enforcement agencies for a third straight day.

Torching vehicles, brisk processions and detention of pro-blockade activists were the main features on the first of the non-stop siege.

Six vehicles were torched so far in Gulistan, Nayabazar, Dilkusha, Shahbagh and Jatrabari till the filing of the report at 7:30pm.

Blasts were also reported in Nayapaltan, Mirpur, and Khilgaon areas on the day.

However, no one was hurt in the incidents and police were yet to arrest anyone in this connection.

A good number of vehicles were seen plying the city streets compared to Monday's almost complete halt, as reinforced law-enforcers along with leaders and activists of the ruling party and its fronts were seen dominating the streets.

Although train and launch communications remained normal and undisrupted, inter-district communications through roads remained almost suspended for poor presence of passengers as found after visiting several terminals in the city.

Some of the banks continued their normal banking operations through backdoors to avert any possible trouble while trading on the country's two burses - Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange-also took place as usual.

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