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| Image Source: Al-Jazeera |
The Bangladesh National Party leader's detention comes ahead of general elections due early next year.
Bangladesh's leading opposition figure has been detained, as tensions rise between the country's ruling party and opposition forces ahead of general elections in January.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was detained by law enforcement agencies on Sunday, a day after massive anti-government protests in the capital Dhaka.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habib-ur-Rehman said Alamgir was detained for questioning over violence during Saturday's protests, which left a police officer and a protester dead and many on both sides. People were injured.
"The police came and confiscated all the CCTV camera devices from our building," Alamgir's wife Rahat Ara Begum was quoted as saying by the Daily Star newspaper.
"They said they got an order to arrest my husband. I hope they will return him soon."
Crackdown on opposition
Alamgir's detention has fueled opposition to Bangladesh's opposition in next year's vote, which will decide the country's next prime minister.
Hundreds of opposition activists have been arrested and the longtime BNP leader, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is under de facto house arrest.
Opposition figures have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founding leader, arguing that she is not trusted to hold free and fair elections after more than 15 years in power. could go
Under Hasina, Bangladesh has achieved steady economic growth, but has also seen rising inflation, making it difficult for many citizens to make ends meet.
His government has also been accused of corruption and rights abuses, including targeting the opposition with a new cybersecurity law. The last few elections in Bangladesh, especially the latest in 2018, were widely criticized for alleged irregularities.
"We don't trust this government," Alamgir said in a recent interview with the Associated Press News Agency.
"They should go first to conduct free and fair elections. Otherwise they will rig the election.
'Vote Chief'
More than 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Dhaka on Saturday in what was the largest demonstration this year, according to AFP news agency reporters who were on the scene.
The protesters were mostly affiliated with the BNP and the Islamic Jamaat-e-Islami, the two main opposition parties in Bangladesh.
According to AFP, they chanted "Vote Sheikh Hasina Chief" outside the BNP headquarters.
Within hours, the protests turned into violent clashes, with opposition figures allegedly vandalizing and vandalizing vehicles and police firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the massive crowd. Footage on the BNP's verified Facebook page later showed thousands of people running for cover as stun grenades fell and black smoke billowed from the street.
BNP officials said the opposition rally was "peaceful" until the police intervened.
"Our rally was peaceful. But the authorities have used excessive force to ruin our rally," said BNP spokesperson Zahiruddin Supan."They attacked our people mercilessly."
Before his arrest, Alamgir had called for a one-day general strike on Sunday to condemn the violence.
(Courtesy: Al-Jazeera)
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