BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi today (July 27, 2023) condemned the arrests of leaders and activists of BNP ahead of their grand rally tomorrow and demanded their immediate release. According to a press release issued today, police arrested Mir Ashraf Ali, former commissioner of Ward 26 of Dhaka City Corporation and his son, Barrister Muntaha Ali, from their house on Wednesday night. Countdown begins for govt's downfall, says BNP Leader Rizvi "Ashraf Ali was seriously injured during the arrest, and his legs were broken," the press release says. He is now undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital in police custody, the release adds. Law enforcers are being used to secure ruling party’s interests: Rizvi Besides, at least 200 leaders and activists of BNP, including Shafiqul Haque Milan, a lawyer and the Relief and Rehabilitation Affairs Secretary of BNP central committee; Abdul Quddus Akon, Assistant Organizing Secretary of BNP; and Anwar Hossain Ujjal, former General Secretary of Rajshahi Metropolitan BNP, who came to Dhaka to attend tomorrow's rally, were arrested from different parts of the capital on Wednesday night, the press release says. Police also raided the Midway Hotel and Victoria Hotel next to BNP's central office in Naya Paltan and arrested more than 300 leaders and activists who boarded there to attend the rally, the press release from the party says. AL's instigation behind attacks on BNP rallies: Rizvi

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, who was arrested during an operation at the party’s Naya Paltan office on December 7,has been shown arrested in three separate cases. Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tofazal Hossain passed the order on Thursday following a petition submitted by police to show Rizvi arrested in separate cases filed at Shahbagh , Ramna and Paltan police station. According to the complaint, Aynal, a garbage truck driver of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) filed a case at Paltan police station alleging  that around 250 people led by Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Rizvi vandalized vehicles at Kakrail Bijaynagar area in the capital on September 12, 2012. A charge sheet against nine people including Fakhrul and Rizvi was submitted in this regard on October 23, 2017. The court has fixed March 29, 2023 to hear the case. Besides, Rizvi was shown arrested in a sabotage case filed at Paltan police station in 2013, and at Badda police station in 2015. All three cases are under trial at the moment. Read more: Arrest warrants issued against BNP's Rizvi, Ishraque On December 7, police fired teargas and charged with batons during a clash with BNP activists at Nayapalton, leaving a man dead and 50 others injured. Police arrested BNP leaders Rizvi , Annie, Shimul Biswash, Aman Ullah and several others from the Nayapaltan area during the operation. Police filed four cases at Ramna, Shahjahanpur, Motijheel and Paltan police stations against 720 BNP activists and over 2400 unnamed people in connection with the clash with BNP activists. Read more: Eminent citizens protest Rizvi’s statement against Sultana Kamal On December 8, a Dhaka court sent 445 BNP leaders, activists including Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and BNP Publication Secretary Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie to jail in two cases filed over the clash.

Information Minister Hasan Mahmud has said BNP wants to hold their December 10 rally in front of party’s Nayapaltan office fearing poor turnout of people and aiming to create chaos.    Hasan Mahmud made the remark while replying to  journalists’ questions at the secretariat  on Thursday.  Read more: Govt helping BNP to make Dhaka rally a success: Info Minister He said BNP already knows that not more than 30 to 50 thousand people will attend their rally. “Even if that’s not the issue they shouldn’t hold a rally blocking a busy road,”he added. The number of people will not exceed 50,000 if they sit one the one kilometer of Nayapaltan road, said Hasan.  Read more: Country can’t be handed over to the patron of terrorists: Info Minister The government can give permission for a rally but it cannot permit holding of a rally planned to create chaos, he said. 

A Dhaka court on Monday granted three days in remand for BNP’s Dhaka Metropolitan South unit member secretary Rafiqul Alam and nine others each in a case filed over obstructing police on duty at Paltan police station. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court Judge Shahidul Islam passed the order after police produced the accused before it and appealed for 7 days in remand to interrogate them. The other accused are BNP leader Mohammad Ali Manna, Md Mofikul Islam, Sohel Shikder, Jahirul Islam, Kazi Imtiyaz Ahmed Tipu, Mintu, Farhan Ali Rachi, Monirul Islam Sajal and Sadekur Rahman. READ: ‘Awami private committee’ formed in search committee’s name: BNP Earlier on Sunday, police detained 23 BNP activists including Rafiqul Alam regarding a clash between Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and police in the city's Naya Paltan area. Later a case was lodged at Paltan police station in this regard.