Blockade again, businesses voice concern

After six days' political upheaval since 28 October and then a two-day respite, the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami will enforce blockades of rail, road and waterways across the country today and tomorrow. 

As the opposition's anti-government protests last week saw a loss of lives, arson, and vandalism, more political programmes are causing alarm about the potential for increased violence and disruptions in business activities.

BNP leaders, however, say they have no alternative and must press ahead with continuous agitations ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, even in the face of mass arrests.

The opposition, which demands ouster of the government and the next national polls under a caretaker administration, fears law enforcers will detain more of their top-tier leaders and activists in an effort to thwart the movement. 

As a result, the BNP's third-tier party members have received instructions to sustain the movement for the next three months, spanning November, December and January. 

Besides, a liaison committee has been formed between BNP and Jamaat.

BNP-Jamaat sources said their plan is to cut off all transportation links between Dhaka and the rest of the entire country to prevent the upcoming election at any cost.

Once the capital is isolated, BNP leaders and activists intend to hold a massive rally in Dhaka before the elections.

The opposition also aims to choke the country's port city as it called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Chattogram for today in protest against the arrest of the party's standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury from his Dhaka residence.

Ambulances, vehicles carrying newspapers, journalists and the fire service will remain outside the purview of the hartal, BNP said in a release yesterday. 

Following the BNP-Jamaat rally on October 28, the country has witnessed 13 fatalities in various incidents during the opposition-enforced hartal and blockades. Among the victims are a police constable and a journalist. The BNP-Jamaat leaders claim that the remaining casualties are party members.

Further loses feared

Mahbubul Alam, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries, expressed his concerns regarding the economic impact of a single day of blockade or hartal. 

He stated that it results in a loss of approximately Tk3,000 crore due to disruptions in the supply chain and vandalism. 

He emphasised that these incidents deter foreign investors from showing interest in Bangladesh. 

Square Group Managing Director Tapan Chowdhury expressed his concern about negative messages reaching brand buyers.

He called the political situation unfortunate, emphasising the need for dialogue to resolve such issues amid broader industry challenges in the global context.

BNP organising secretary held 

This evening, BNP Organising Secretary Imran Saleh Prince was arrested by the Detective Branch of Police from a relative's house in Badda of the capital, according to the BNP media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan.

An assistant commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police confirmed this to The Business Standard.

The arrest was made over the sabotage case filed centring the BNP's 28 October rally, which devolved into violence, said the official.
More deaths, arsons, arrests

BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday said Biblob Hasan Bipul, a member of Munshiganj Swechchhasebak Dal, died on Friday, after being seriously injured by police sound grenades and teargas cells at the BNP's grand rally on 28 October.

However, this newspaper could not verify the claim independently.  

He claimed that in the 24 hours till Saturday afternoon, a total of 176 people of the BNP and its affiliated organisations were arrested across the country. 

Rizvi said about 8,000 BNP leaders and activists have been arrested so far since 28 October, including the party's top brass Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Mirza Abbas, and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury. 

The Jamaat claims 1,600 of their men have been arrested in the last seven days. 

Ahead of the BNP-Jamaat blockade today, three buses were set on fire in the capital's Elephant Road, New Market and Sayedabad areas yesterday evening.

At around 7:30pm, a passenger bus of Mirpur Link Paribahan was torched in front of Gawsia Market in the capital, fire service Station Officer Talha Bin Zasim said on Saturday.

Another bus owned by Green University was set on fire at around 7:43pm outside the Multiplan Center in the Elephant Road area.

The third incident took place under the flyover near Sayedabad's Janapath intersection around 7:55pm.

Meanwhile, the BNP's Nayapaltan central office has been blocked for a week, encircled by the police following the violent clash on 28 October. 

The main gate remains locked, and armed police personnel are stationed in front of it. 

Over the past seven days, law enforcement has apprehended numerous leaders and activists in the vicinity of the office.