The police arrested Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee
member retired Brigadier General ASM Hannan Shah in the capital’s
Baridhara area on Monday evening.
Protesting against the arrest, the district unit of BNP called daylong
general strikes in Gazipur for Thursday and at Kapashia upazila in
Gazipur for today.
The arrest was made after the BNP-led opposition alliance announced a 48-hour blockade across the country beginning today.
The Detective Branch
team picked up the BNP leader near Japan Embassy at the Natun Bazar area at about 9:00pm, the official sources said.
Witnesses said Hannan Shah was arrested when he was coming out from the Embassy after attending a programme.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner (media and public
relations) Masudur Rahman confirmed the arrest but was unwilling to
disclose the charge for the arrest.
The police sources said that they were given instruction to prevent any short anarchy in the capital and other places.
In mid-October, the police started arresting the leaders and activists
of the main opposition BNP and its front organisations, and also its
allies in the capital and other places.
On November 9, the police arrested BNP standing committee members Moudud
Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Mia, party chairperson’s advisory
council member Abdul Awal Mintoo and Khaleda Zia’s special assistant
Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas in connection with two cases for violence
during the opposition’s agitations at Kamalapur on September 24 and near
Motijheel Ideal School and College on November 5.
The police have also arrested top leaders of BNP, Jatiyabadi Juba Dal
and Chhatra Dal including Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, and Chhatra Dal
general secretary Habibur Rashid Habib.
Most of the leaders are now either in jail or in police custody. (source)