RAB detains BNP leader Habibur Rahman

BNP leader Habibur Rahman Habib was arrested on Tuesday by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for ignoring a court summons regarding his 'derogatory comments' about a High Court judge.

Habibur, a member of the advisory council for the BNP chairperson, was apprehended from a residence in Dhaka's Mirpur DOHS, as reported by Anwar Hossain, the chief of RAB-2, according to a bdnews24.com report.

Habibur Rahman and BNP Vice Chairman Md Shahjahan, along with 13 others, were sentenced to a four-year jail term in a sabotage case by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka on October 9. Following the verdict, Habibur chose to go into hiding.

Habibur drew scrutiny for making derogatory remarks about High Court Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman, who had convicted BNP chief Khaleda Zia in two graft cases as a special court judge.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi criticised the arrest of Habibur, highlighting his prominent role as a student leader during the 1990 anti-autocracy upsurge and his past position as a Chhatra League president.

In response, the panel of Justice JBM Hasan and Justice Raziq Al Jalil summoned Habib to appear before the High Court on November 6 to explain his comments. However, when he failed to appear, the High Court requested information about his whereabouts by November 8.

The Attorney General's Office later informed the court that law enforcement could not locate Habib at his permanent or current address, with his family members claiming ignorance of his whereabouts.

As part of its anti-government movement demanding the resignation of the PM and the formation of a non-partisan election-time caretaker government, the BNP began calling hartals and blockades following the deadly clashes between party loyalists and the police during a rally on October 28.

Following the unrest on October 28, the majority of high-ranking BNP officials either faced arrest or chose to conceal their whereabouts.