Sixth round of blockade begins today

The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are set to enforce the sixth round of 48-hour countrywide road-rail-waterway blockade beginning at 6am today.

Arrests, arson attacks on vehicles and clashes marked the previous rounds of blockade. Around 200 vehicles have been set on fire since 28 October, according to the Fire Service.

As the arrests continue, over 566 BNP-Jamaat leaders and activists have been arrested across the country in the last 24 hours, including Habibur Rahman Habib, advisor to BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia.

Meanwhile, two crude bombs were hurled targeting the residence of BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas in the city's Shahjahanpur.

Afroza Abbas, wife of Mirza Abbas and president of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, alleged at a press conference, "The guard said that two people wearing black clothing and helmets attacked. They were riding on the same motorcycle. Outside the house were three to four police motorcycles. The guard asked the police to nab the attackers. Instead of nabbing them, the cops assisted them in fleeing."

Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Motijheel Division Hayatul Islam Khan told a national daily that Afroza Abbas's allegation was her political statement and the police were not involved in the incident.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Habibur Rahman Habib from the capital's Mirpur area yesterday, 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 6 November and explain his "derogatory remarks" about a judge of the High Court on social media.

Shamsuddin Didar, a member of the BNP chairperson's press wing, alleged that RAB-2 also picked up Ataur Rahman Dhali, advisor to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, from the Bosila area in Dhaka, yesterday.

Since October 28, the BNP has claimed that 15 leaders and activists, including a journalist, have been killed and approximately 14,000 leaders and activists have been arrested in the ongoing movement for a caretaker government.

Some 136 BNP leaders and activists, including Joint Secretary General Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel, Information Affairs Secretary Azizul Bari Helal, Voluntary Affairs Secretary Mir Sarafat Ali, and former Jubo Dal president Saiful Islam Nirob, were recently sentenced in connection with the arson case centred on the 5 January 2015 election.

Several BNP leaders told the Business Standard that the government has given these sentences in false cases to hold a one-sided election. "They (Awami League) say that they want BNP to come to the election, on the other hand, they have taken the strategy of disqualifying the BNP's electable candidates across the country by giving false sentences in false cases," the leaders said.

"The Awami League does not want any elections in the country, because they know that they will not be able to win even 10 seats if the election is held under an impartial government. Therefore, they are using the law enforcement agencies, suppression, and the courts to completely wipe out the opposition party, and are keeping BNP away from the election in various ways," the leaders added.

"The party cannot be weakened by conspiracy." BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said at an online press conference yesterday.

BNP-Jamaat and other like-minded opposition parties have announced that they will not participate in the elections under the current government without a caretaker government. The parties have also rejected the declared election schedule, staged protests, and issued statements.

Concerned that the government's people or intelligence may pick up nomination forms in the names of BNP leaders and activists without their knowledge in the coming days, confusing party leaders, activists and the public, BNP media cell member Kader Ghani Chowdhury yesterday urged media personnel to cross-check before reporting such news.

On Sunday, the Appellate Division dismissed the appeal against the High Court's ruling that the Jamaat-e-Islami's registration as a political party is illegal.

In protest of this verdict, Jamaat-e-Islami held demonstrations and rallies across the country yesterday.

A source from Jamaat's office said that three people have been killed and 2,552 leaders and activists have been arrested across the country since 28 October.

Political turmoil has engulfed the country since 28 October when opposition demonstrations were marked by clashes, deaths and violence. The BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and other like-minded parties have been declaring hardline political programmes since then to realise their demands.