With only two days to go to city polls, police yesterday picked up another BNP-backed councillor candidate in the capital’s Hazaribagh.
Arrestee Abdul Khayer Babul, 50, is a councillor hopeful in ward-15 of Dhaka South City Corporation.
With this, at least four councillor aspirants, three BNP-blessed and a party rebel, in two Dhaka city corporations have been arrested so far since April 9, the last day for withdrawal of nomination papers.
The three other arrestees are Osman Gani Shahjahan of ward-34 and Kawser Ahemd of ward-11 in DNCC, and BNP rebel Kazi Hasibur Rahman of ward-13 in DSCC.
Police detained Babul around 10:30am in a case with Hazaribagh Police Station, said SM Jahangir Alam Sarker, acting deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
He was picked up while campaigning in the area for himself and mayor hopeful Mirza Abbas with Abbas’ wife Afroza Abbas.
According to Babul’s wealth statement submitted to Election Commission, he was accused in seven cases.
Sources in the BNP said many party-backed councillor hopefuls could not join the election campaign as they have been hiding for fear of police harassment and arrest.
On Thursday night, law enforcers detained eight BNP men at the election office of the party-backed councillor aspirant in ward-27.
Councillor hopeful Anwar-uz-Jaman claimed that two sub-inspectors of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station asked his wife Shirina Jaman not to allow any “male” in her husband’s election office. Otherwise, police threatened that they would arrest more people from the office.
Contacted, Sub-inspector Abdul Jalil of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station said they searched the office on instructions from police high-ups.
“We rounded up eight people from the office on suspicions that they might be involved in subversive activities. The detainees were brought to the police station for quizzing,” added the SI.
Anwar complained that Faridur Rahman Iran, the Awami League-backed councillor hopeful in the ward, influenced police to detain his supporters to create obstacles to his campaign. Iran, however, refuted the allegation.
Source: The Daily Star
