Khaleda Zia's advisor Habibur Rahman arrested

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested an advisor to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and vice chairman of the party Habibur Rahman Habib today.

He was arrested from the capital's Mirpur area on Tuesday (21 November), ANM Emran Khan, deputy director of RAB Legal and Media wing, told The Business Standard.

According to RAB, he was arrested because he did not appear despite the order of the High Court.

Earlier, the High Court asked Habibur Rahman to appear before the court on November 6 and explain his "derogatory remarks" about a judge of the High Court on social media, reports UNB.

The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the suo moto order.

The court issued a rule seeking an explanation as to why punitive action should not be taken against the BNP leader for contempt of court.

Talking about BNP chief Khaleda Zia's imprisonment Habibur said in a video, "I want to take an oath that the day when this government will not be in power, even if Justice Akhtaruzzaman is alive, he will have to die, even if he dies, the body will be exhumed from the grave."

Habibur Rahman had been sentenced to 4 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Tk10,000 in a sabotage case at Bhatara police station as the charge of sabotage against him was proven.

RAB also said there are more than 5 cases against him in various police stations.

Habibur Rahman was handed over to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station this morning for further legal action against him.

Most of BNP's top leadership, including its secretary general, have already been arrested in various cases.

Recently, four BNP leaders, including its standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, were sent to jail today after completing different terms of remands in three separate cases.

Three other BNP leaders are party vice chairmen Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Barrister Shahjahan Omar, and its media cell convener Zahir Uddin Swapon.

Earlier on 3 November, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) detained Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury from his Gulshan residence.

Zahir Uddin Swapon was arrested from the same neighbourhood earlier that day.

The next day, a Dhaka court granted a six-day remand against Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Zahir Uddin Swapon each in a case filed over the killing of police constable Amirul Haque on 28 October.

According to court sources, BNP activists clashed with police during the party's grand rally in Nayapaltan on 28 October. At one point during the clashes, constable Amirul Haque was killed.

BNP Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu shortly after Sunday midnight (5 November).

Barrister Shahjahan Omar was sent to jail today after completion of his four-day remand over a case filed over setting vehicles on fire in the city's New Market area on 4 November.

On 1 November, separate courts in Dhaka granted a five-day remand for BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas and Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal.

Mirza Abbas was arrested on Tuesday in a case filed under the Sabotage and Explosives Substances Act with the capital's Shahjahanpur Police Station while Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal arrested in a case of vandalism at the Bangladesh Police Liberation War Museum in the capital's Rajarbagh.