Search, arrest on ahead of Khaleda verdict

FE Team | Published: February 07, 2018 23:57:59

Apart from large-scale arrest, police have started searching vehicles and suspected people while entering the capital as BNP's preparations are on to stage demonstrations in the city if their chairperson is "unfairly" convicted in a graft case on Thursday, reports UNB.
A BNP senior leader said they asked their party followers to take position around the makeshift special court set up in Dhaka's Bakshibazar area from Thursday morning, defying all the obstacles in order to stage a big demonstration if Khaleda is convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust Graft case.
He, however, said they will prefer getting arrested than getting involved in any clash if the law enforcers obstruct them from registering their protest.
As tension was escalating ahead of the verdict, police and Rab have also set up check-posts at 13 entry points of the capital and started searching vehicles and suspected people to prevent unwarranted people from entering the city.
The law enforcers also have a plan to stop entering any type of vehicles in the capital from different parts of the country on Thursday so that no BNP leader and activist can come to Dhaka to 'create any trouble', a top police official at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) told UNB wishing anonymity.
The movement of vehicles is likely to be restricted from early Thursday to prevent BNP leaders and activists from gathering at any point to stage demonstrations.
Meanwhile, the operators of different inter-city and long-distance bus services said they will not run their vehicles on Thursday, fearing political violence.
Many of them even said they will stop their services from Wednesday night.
According to sources at the DMP, law enforcers arrested around 350 suspected people since Tuesday midnight from Monday evening from the city's different areas.
Police will also continue their drives at different residential hotels, mess-houses of students and bachelors to detain the suspected rowdy people.
Police and detectives are also keeping their sharp eyes on Sadarghat Launch Terminal and Kamalapur Railway Station and other bus terminals so that no troublemaker can enter the city.
Besides, important city points, bus and launch terminals and rail stations, have been brought under CCTV cameras to check untoward incidents.
As part of their steps, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Tuesday imposed a ban on holding any procession and carrying sharp weapons, explosives, flammable materials in the capital on Thursday.
Over 30,000 policemen alongside the adequate members of Rab, detective branch of police and other intelligence agencies will be deployed at the city's different important points, including in and around the special court areas and all the entry points of the city.
DMP deputy commissioner (media) Masudur Rahman said adequate plainclothes police personnel and members of different intelligence agencies will be there at the city's different strategic points alongside the several thousand regular police members so that no one can break the law.
"We'll take lawful actions if any one tires to create any trouble. We won't tolerate any type of chaos over the court verdict,” he said.