Staff Correspondent
A Dhaka Court on Friday placed BNP Standing Committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy on a three-day remand. He has been arrested on charge of attempting on the life of Awami League MP Chhabi Biswas.
Md Habil Hossain, Officer-in-Charge (investigation) of Shahbagh Police Station, produced Goyeshwar in the Court on Friday afternoon and appealed for a ten-day remand to interrogate him.
Metropolitan Magistrate  Younus Khan passed the order after police produced the BNP leader before him around 3:30pm with a 10-day remand prayer. He was earlier shown arrested in the case filed over the Bakshibazar violence.
Detective Branch (DB) of Police raided the BNP leader's home in Siddeshwari and arrested him in the early hours of Friday, two days after the Bakshibazar clash between the Awami League and BNP activists, and an attack on a ruling party MP.
Masudur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police detective wing, told The Daily Observer that Goyeshwar had been shown arrested in the case filed at Shahbagh Police Station over the attack on ruling party's Netrakona-1 MP Biswas at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). Goyeshwar was held from his Siddeshwari residence in Dhaka city around 6:00am, he said. A team of DB police raided Ayesha Complex, the residence of the BNP leader, and detained him, he said.
Goyeshwar's arrest came ahead of the "high-tension rally" in Gazipur Today (Saturday), what BNP is determined to carry out amid authority's prohibitory measures and stand-off with the ruling party.
The detention comes a day after student fronts of ruling Awami League and BNP, Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, clashed at Bakshibazar during graft case hearing of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The attack left several injured including Netrokona-1 lawmaker Chhabi Biswas. The MP's vehicle was torched by Chhatra Dal activists near the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Two cases were filed against BNP supporters over the clash, though there were identified Awami League men, armed with sticks and rods, who took part in the clash. However, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy was not an accused in either of the cases. On Friday, BNP said it will observe countrywide protest in condemnation of the "attack."
The BNP has a pre-announced rally in Gazipur to drum up public support for, what the ruling Awami League has said will be thwarted with the use of force.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia condemned the 'arrest' of Goyeshwar and other activists of the party and demanded their immediate release.
In a press statement issued hours after Goyeshwar's detention, the BNP chief alleged that the government was on an "arrest spree" and used the police force to raid the houses of party leaders Abdul Awal Mintoo, Habibunnabi Khan Sohel and Azizul Bari Helal.  These were being done to divert people's attention to a different direction, she alleged. She also blamed the ruling party supporters for the attack on BNP supporters and activists in Bakshibazar on Wednesday.
The BNP along with the countrymen will ensure toppling the government if Goyeshwar is not released, Khaleda Zia warned in her statement.
At least nine BNP activists, including Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal Gazipur chapter Vice President Bashir Ahmed, were detained last night ahead of the party's rally there. They were held from Tongi area, said Sajeda Lata, a Sub-Inspector of Tongi Police Station.
In photos published by the media on Thursday, Bangladesh Chhatra League activists were seen brandishing firearms and wielding sticks and bamboos but no one from the student affiliate of the ruling party was among the accused.