Dhaka: BNP on Friday sought the intervention of the Election Commission (EC) in stopping the arrest and harassment of its leaders and activists, and withdrawal of ‘false and fictitious cases’ filed against them.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the request in a letter sent to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda, reports the UNB.

He also urged the Commission to take steps for the release of all the arrested leaders and activists of BNP and its alliance partners in ‘false’ cases.

M Salahuddin Khan, an official of BNP’s Nayapaltan office, carried the letter to the Election Commission and handed it over to the EC official concerned in the morning, BNP assistant office secretary Taiful Islam Tipu told UNB.

In the letter, Fakhrul said, ‘Hundreds of cases are being filed against BNP leaders and activists, and they are being arrested even after the announcement of the election schedule. Law enforcers are also creating obstacles to nomination seekers from coming to BNP’s Nayapaltan central office while several hundred leaders and activists have been arrested.’

Defying the Commission’s order, he alleged, the law enforcers set up check-posts on different link roads around the BNP office and they are harassing opposition leaders and activists. ‘Even, they’re snatching nomination papers and damaging those.’

Fakhrul said their 60-70 leaders and workers were arrested on Wednesday alone while a drive to arrest the opposition activists is going on.

‘The credibility of the election will be questioned if such arrests and harassment continue. The law enforcers come under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission after the announcement of the election schedule. So, we expect your intervention to stop the filing of false and fictitious cases and the arrest of our leaders and activists by law enforcers,’ he said.

The party also sent a list of 472 BNP leaders and workers who were arrested in different cases after the announcement of the schedule for the 11th parliamentary elections on November 8.