In Bangladesh, leader of the Opposition and BNP Chaiperson Khaleda Zia today moved out of her Catonment House after the Dhaka Cantonment authorities enforced a High Court Order. The Bangladesh High Court rejected a petition filed by the BNP Chairperson challenging the vacation notice issued by the Cantonment Board and asked her to leave the house within 30 days after. She had been living there for nearly three decades.The action led to tension in the city with several BNP activists observing sit-in protests. Police had to resort to Lathi charge and fire teargas shells in different parts of the city as BNP supporters tried to blockade roads and also indulge in vandalism.The 2.72-acre plot was originally the official residence of the army's Deputy Chief of Staff, a position held by Ziaur Rahman, who eventually became the military ruler of the country. The house was later allotted to his widow Khaleda Zia and her two sons following the assassination of Ziaur Rahman.AIR correspondent C Senthil Ranjan reports from Dhaka that it was a day of drama in Dhaka with the Cantonment board authorities taking steps to implement the High Court verdict asking BNP leader Khaleda Zia to vacate her Cantonment House.With security personnel cordoning of the house in the early hours of the morning, BNP Leaders and supporters took to the streets at the Jahangir Gate of the cantonment area and other parts of the city. A team of senior lawyers of the BNP leader met the Chief Justice to stop the eviction procedure till the scheduled hearing of the leave to appeal petition in the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict on November 29th , but it did not help . As the day proceeded, agitated BNP supporters tried to disrupt traffic and indulge in violence by pelting stones at cars and setting buses on fire resulting in clashes between police and the party workers. Finally the Former Prime Minister quit the Cantonment residence in the afternoon and the BNP has called for a countrywide dawn to dusk bandh tomorrow , protesting against the eviction of their leader from the house in which she had been living for nearly.
News On AIR | November 13, 2010 8:41 PM
B'desh Ex-PM Khaleda Zia vacates Cantt. House following HC order