Bangladesh police end 'siege' of opposition leader
January 19, 2015
Police stationed outside Khaleda Zia's private offices in Dhaka's affluent Gulshan district were stood down on Monday, ending a 16-day political siege.
"They (police) first removed their vans at around 2.30 am and afterwards they left the scene along with water cannons," a Bangladesh National Party (BNP) official told reporters.
Zia, a two-time former premier and leader of the BNP, was barred from leaving her office ahead of nationwide anti-government rallies planned for the first anniversary of disputed elections. The controversial vote on January 5, 2014, was boycotted by the opposition who claimed it was rigged, delivering another five-year term to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
During Zia's de-facto house arrest, she had called for the protests to continue, and for a nationwide transport blockade that would force the incumbent Awami League government to hold fresh polls.
"The BNP-led 20-party opposition alliance's transport blockade will continue until the government agrees to our demand," BNP party spokesman Sayrul Kabir Khan said after Zia's release.
The blockade has seen opposition activists firebomb buses, cars and trucks around the country, and police retaliating with bullets and tear gas. According to a report by the Bengali daily Prothom Alo, quoted by news agency AFP, a total of 238 vehicles have been torched since January 4 and another 307 damaged. At least 27 people and been killed and dozens more injured in the latest surge in violence.
Prime Minister Hasina has accused Zia of trying to cause "anarchy," and has ordered police to hunt down those behind the firebombings. Zia, meanwhile, has called for the release of opposition officials detained during the crackdown on protesters.
The United States, Britain and the European Union have expressed concern over the unrest. The EU, Bangladesh's biggest export destination, has urged Hasina's government and the opposition to hold talks to resolve the crisis.
nm/rc (AFP, PTI)