Hours after the BNP and its allies called a 72-hour countrywide strike, a large police force has been deployed in BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s office area in Dhaka’s Gulshan.
The news of the deployment has escalated political tension arising from the standoff between the two major political parties – the AL and the BNP – over a polls-time caretaker government.
Speaking to bdnews24.com, BNP Office Assistant Abdus Salam: “Police are standing in a line in front of the gate. Three police vans are also are seen on the road in front of the office.”
Salam said they had been told not to leave the office building.
The BNP-led 18-Party alliance held a meeting at Khaleda’s office at Road No.2 in Gulshan-2 at 3pm on Friday.
After the meeting, BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam announced a three-day shutdown from Sunday to Tuesday.
As the alliance leaders left the office, a large police force was reinforced on the streets around the Opposition Leader’s office at around 5pm.
Police also began frisking at the road crossings.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Gulshan Zone Assistant Commissioner Nurul Amin said the police presence had been beefed up around the office and the residence of Opposition Leader ‘for the sake of security’.
Khaleda lives at House No.1, Road No.89 at Gulshan near her political office.
Despite police saying that security had been intensified around the BNP Chairperson’s residence, the bdnews24.com correspondent says the police deployment has been as usual.
Source: Bd news24