Most BNP leaders and activists in Chattogram went into hiding to evade arrest or “police harassment” since the incidents of violence during the party’s rally on October 28.

The BNP claimed that at least 515 of its leaders and activists were detained yesterday, the first day of BNP and Jamaat’s fresh 48-hour nationwide blockade.

Police arrested a total of 1,223 BNP leaders and activists from different parts of the capital and produced them before the court in nine days just before the party's December 10 rally.

Police detain 16 BNP leaders while they were holding a meeting in Bangla Motor area of Dhaka.