BNP terms it govt obstruction; Tuku denies

The main opposition BNP ran a campaign across the country yesterday to drum up public support for tomorrow's countrywide hartal amid obstructions from law enforcers at different places.
Police arrested about 600 people in different parts of the country yesterday ahead of the dawn-to-dusk hartal.
BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain claimed at least a thousand leaders and activists of the party and its front organisations were arrested and more than 500 injured in police attacks on opposition activists until 12:00noon.
The State Minister for home affairs, Shamsul Hoque Tuku, however said none was arrested in connection with the opposition's protest programmes.
"Police did not arrest anyone without specific charges," he told reporters at his office.
Top police officials said they would ensure safety of commuters and operation of public transport and shops during the hartal.
Law enforcers charged truncheons on a pro-hartal rally in Natore injuring at least 10 people including former deputy minister Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu.
Ruling party activists clashed with opposition supporters in Khulna leaving 24 people wounded. Clashes between the opposition activists and those of the ruling party occurred in Barisal.
A number of opposition parties including Jamaat-e-Islami expressed support for the hartal and urged people to make it a success.
Acting Jamaat Secretary General ATM Azharul Islam at a press briefing at the party's central office called upon people to observe the hartal peacefully.
BNP held rallies and brought out processions at all divisional headquarters as part of its six-day protest programme that began on November 25. It will do the same today to garner public support for the hartal.
BNP standing committee on November 22 announced a set of protest programmes including hartal to "save democracy and the country".
Party Chairperson Khaleda Zia held talks with like-minded political parties and professional bodies and sought their support for the party programmes. She asked the leaders of BNP Dhaka city unit to be on the streets during hartal.
Leaders of party's different units distributed leaflets to elicit public opinion in favour of the hartal.
Meanwhile, police arrested at least 600 people, including 400 in the capital yesterday, the fourth day of the BNP-announced protest programmes.
Of the arrestees in the capital, 275 were detained by police, 125 by its detective branch and Rapid Action Battalion.
At least 120 people were arrested in Rajshahi, 10 in Kishoreganj, 15 in Dinajpur, 10 in Khulna, seven in Manikganj, six in Thakurgaon, 20 in Sylhet and three in Barisal.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed told reporters at his office that the DMP would take security measures for smooth operation of transport and businesses during the hartal.
"We will provide foolproof security for running day-to-day activities on the hartal day," DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed said.
The DMP chief said security would be tightened in and around the capital on the eve of hartal.
Nearly 20,000 additional police and Rab personnel would be deployed across the country. Of them 11,000 would be deployed in the capital.
Commander M Sohail, director of Rab legal and media wing, said 3,000 Rab members would be deployed in the capital and 2,000 others elsewhere during the hartal.
On Saturday, police arrested around 500 people in connection with BNP's protest programmes.
The BNP secretary general said people will give a befitting reply to mass arrest of and attacks on BNP men by the government through observing tomorrow's hartal spontaneously.
Addressing a press conference at the party's Naya Paltan office, Delwar said the hartal was called to realise people's demand for reduction of the prices of essentials and an end to misdeeds of the ruling Awami League and repression on the innocent.
He also said the government is now trying to grab the BNP chairperson's Gulshan house after evicting her from the cantonment house, but people will resist it, he said.
“Government has created a frightening situation by arresting about 1,000 opposition leaders and workers ahead of the hartal,” he said. Despite this, people will make the hartal a success, he hoped.
Demanding immediate release of the arrested leaders and workers, the BNP leader said police damaged houses of BNP supporters across the country and beat them up to foil the hartal programme.
The government had ordered the law enforcement agencies to take a hard line on the hartal in a bid to eliminate BNP since it is trying to protect democracy as well as the country, Delwar said.
Meanwhile, Dhaka city unit of BNP yesterday held a rally at Muktangon as part of the party's agitation programme at all divisional headquarters.
Party leaders including Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, MK Anwar, Abdullah Al Noman and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addressed the rally chaired by Sadeque Hossain Khoka.