BNP on Saturday called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Chattogram for Sunday in protest against the arrest of the party’s standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury from his Dhaka residence. A press release was issued in this regard on Saturday. Md Idris Ali, office coordinator of the city unit BNP, said Chattogram metropolitan, north and south district units of BNP  called for the daylong hartal protesting the arrest of Amir Khasru, also a former minister. Read : Jubo Dal leader hacked after abduction in Natore The party’s leaders and activists were urged to observe the hartal peacefully, said the release. Ambulance, vehicles carrying newspapers, journalists and fire service will remain out of purview of the hartal, it said. The hartal will be enforced along with the two-day countrywide blockade set to begin from 6:00 am on Sunday. Read : Over 250 BNP, Jamaat fellows sued in 2 cases over clash with Chhatra League, police in Sylhet BNP’s Vice-Chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Mir Md Nasir Uddin, chairperson’s advisors Golam Akbar Khandaker, SM Fazlul Hoque, central committee’s Organising Secretary Mahbubur Rahman Shamim and city unit BNP Convenor Dr Shahadat Hossain, among others, urged the party activists to observe the hartal peacefully. Early Friday, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police detained Amir Khasru from his Gulshan residence in the capital. Later, he was shown arrested in  police constable Aminul Islam murder case filed with Paltan police station. Read : No innocent BNP leader or activist being arrested: Razzaque The constable sustained severe injuries in clashes with BNP men during the October 28 grand rally in Dhaka. Later he died. A Dhaka court on Friday placed the BNP leader on a six-day remand in the case.

The 74-year-old mother of senior journalist Amir Khasru was found dead at her residence in Pirojpur district town on Monday, police said.  Sitara Halim, a resident of CI Para of the town and wife of Abdur Halim Hawladar, used to stay alone, Additional Superintendent of Pirojpur Police, Molla Azad, said. A tenant of the house told police that a paint worker knocked on the door of Sitara on the first floor of the building in the morning to resume renovation work the residence. READ: Ex-VOA news presenter Kaffey Khan dies Getting no response from inside the room, he informed the matter to the tenant of the building who in turn informed police. A team of police recovered the body of Sitara after breaking open the door of the house, said Molla. Police suspected that the woman might have been strangulated to death. Khasru, who lives in Dhaka, left for Pirojpur as soon as he heard the news.

Chattogram police have submitted charge sheet against BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury in a case filed under the Special Powers Act for instigating violence and destabilising the country during the students movement for safe roads three years ago. The charge sheet against Khasru and a Chatra Dal leader Milhanur Rahman Nowmi was submitted by sub-Inspector (SI) Sanjoy Guha of Counter Terrorism (CT) unit, Chattogram Metropolitan Police  on Wednesday,  CMP Deputy Commissioner (DC) Farook-ul-Haque confirmed on Thursday. In the report submitted to a Chattogram Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, police, however, said that no evidence was found against the two in allegations under the ICT Act. Read: Attack on rally: BNP demands withdrawal of Habiganj SP, 2 OCs Police launched probe after on August 4, 2018 a Bangladesh Chhatra League Chattogram Metropolitan Unit Acting General Secretary Jakaria Dastagir filed the case under sections 57 (2) of ICT Act and 15 (3) of the Special Powers Act with Kotwali Police Station against the two for ‘instigating’ the student movement over road safety and ‘conspiring’ against the state. The case was related to a leaked phone call going in the social media in which Khasru was heard instructing Nawmi to continue the student movement for road safety. Read: EC dialogue: BNP neither gets invitation nor makes any decision On August 28, the High Court granted Khasru six-week anticipatory bail in the case. On October 21, a Chattogram court sent him to jail after he surrendered. On November 12, he was granted bail in the case.