Dhaka, March 20 -- Police have arrested at least 54 BNP leaders and activists on charges of hatching an anti-state conspiracy at a "secret meeting" at Dhaka's Banani Club.

The law enforcers arrested the BNP loyalists -- all from Munshiganj's Sirajdikhan and Sreenagar -- during a raid on the club on Monday. The suspects were taken to Banani Police Station after their arrest and moved to the DB headquarters afterwards. Police filed a case against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The arrestees include Momin Ali, the former chairman of the Sreenagar union council, Delwar Hossain, general secretary of BNP's Sreenagar unit and Awlad Hossain, former general secretary of BNP's Sirajdikhan unit. Momin was a BNP candidate from the Munshiganj-1 ...