Shawdesh Desk:

The filing of cases against and arrest of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders and activists have intensified before the general election expected to be held by January and amid the opposition movement for election-time neutral government.

The government has become more aggressive with the oust-the-government movement gaining momentum as the ruling Awami League no more considers anything in a democratic way, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told New Age on Saturday.

He alleged that the police have intensified the filing of fictitious and false cases against BNP people as the party was planning all-out movement soon to compel the government to hand over power to a neutral government for a free and fair election.

According to the BNP office, at least 14 cases were filed against against 323 named and scores unnamed BNP leaders and activists in Chattogram, Jashore, Kushtia and Narayanganj in the past seven days

BNP leaders alleged that sentencing BNP leaders, probable party candidates for the next general election, in old cases also kept increasing.

In the past six months, 96 BNP leaders and activists, including stading committee and advisory council members and vice-chairmen, have been jailed for varying terms.

According to the BNP office, around 300 leaders and activists were arrested in the first two weeks of October and over a dozen fresh cases were filed.

At least 2,250 leaders and activists have been arrested 343 cases have been filed against 13,270 people since July 28, when the BNP staged a grand rally in the capital, party leaders said.

In a recent raid, the police arrested BNP publicity secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee in the early hours on October 11 reportedly breaking open his Dhanmondi house. Anee landed in jail on Saturday after a four-day remand in police custody.

Grassroots BNP leaders and activists are not staying at their houses at night as the police keep raiding their houses, party leaders alleged.

Netrakona district BNP convener Anowarul Haque said that arresting BNP people become the main duty of the police.

‘Every day our leaders and activists are facing arrests, raids and new cases,’ he said.

Meherpur district BNP president Masud Arun said that at least 10 organisers of the BNP and associate bodies were arrested in the district in the past 10 days.

The police are trying to create an environment of panic preparing lists of the people joining BNP events, Aurun said.

Police headquarters spokesperson additional superintendent of police Enamul Haque Sagor said that they were not conducting any politically motivated arrests and raids.

‘We have been conducting our regular raids. We are arresting people who face specific charges of violence and warrants for arrest in the raids,’ the police officer said.

He refused allegations of harassment of opposition political leaders and activists and said that the police carried out no raids in plainclothes.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch chief Harun-or-Rashid said that the police arrested Anee since he did not secure bail in cases and even did not appear before the court.

Harun said that police would not hesitate to arrest politicians, irrespective of their top posts if any warrant was issued against them.

The BNP alleged that the government opened a special cell in the law ministry to expedite the trial of party leaders and activists to keep them out of election race by ensuring their conviction.

The party said that the government was trying to use the court and law enforcement agencies to hurriedly dispose of ‘false’ cases against the party leaders.

A Dhaka metropolitan magistrate court on October 9 sentenced 15 leaders and activists of BNP, including the party chairperson’s adviser Habibur Rahman Habib, vice-chairman and former lawmaker Md Shahjahan, former lawmaker Mohammad Ahsan Habib Lincoln, to four imprisonment for four years in a case filed on January 4, 2015 with Bhatara police station over setting vehicles on fire and preventing police from discharging their duties.

Many BNP leaders, including standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and Dhaka North City unit party convener Amanullah Aman, have been convicted ahead of the national election.

Dhaka Metropolitan Court public prosecutor Abdullah Abu said that the cases were being progressed and disposed of in the regular procedure of the court. There is nothing abnormal.

He said that it was the responsibility of the police and the prosecution to ensure the appearance of the prosecution witnesses before the court.

Abdullah blamed BNP-leaning lawyers for creating chaos in the courtroom and court premises to disrupt the legal procedures.

‘Their chaotic activities and questions about legal procedures are rather deemed as intervening on the court,’ said the public prosecutor.

According to the BNP statistics, 1,41,633 cases were filed against 49,26,492 leaders and activists between January 2009 and August 11, 2023.

Criminal cases filed against BNP leaders and activists since 2009 account for 6.84 per cent of the 20.76 lakh criminal cases pending with the lower courts across the country.