Some 10 policemen deployed at the entrance to the head office frisked the Proshika staffers and visitors willing to go in. They also interrogated the employees when they came out of the office, according to the staff.

Law-enforcers arrested two and picked up 11 other Proshika employees in a raid on the NGO headquarters on Tuesday on charge of attacking some of their disgruntled colleagues, who went to the Proshika office in a procession.

Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ashraful Huda and the Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch Faruq Ahmed visited Proshika headquarters yesterday.

Attendance in Proshika head office yesterday thin as many opted to skip their office fearing further trouble.

An official of the NGO said, citing their attendance register, that 45 percent of the 507 staff in the headquarters came to the office in the morning, but many left office earlier following rumours that their disgruntled colleagues were heading toward the headquarters in a procession at around 10:30am.

"We're really panicked," said a Proshika staff seeking anonymity. "Policemen at the gate are questioning us when we're coming in and going out," he said adding that no more than 20 percent staff attended the office yesterday.

Pallabi police meanwhile have shown Proshika staff Sheikh Sayeed Hossain and Jahangir Alam arrested and released 11 others picked up during Tuesday's raid after interrogation at about 3:30pm yesterday.

Police produced the arrestees before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka with a prayer to place each of them on a five-day remand. However, the court granted a one- day remand.

Police on May 2 sealed the people's culture wing of Proshika and seized documents in a raid on its headquarters to find proof of the NGO's alleged antigovernment activities.

Seven employees of the Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh (Adab), federating body of NGOs, meanwhile have condemned the attack on the procession of the disgruntled Proshika employees.

In a press release yesterday, they demanded arrest of the mastermind of the attack and the attackers, as well.

Md Shahadat Hossain, deputy director, field operations, of Proshika in a release yesterday refuted reports in a section of the press that Shahdat Hossain Sachchu, Abul Kalam Azad, Khandaker Anwar Kamal and others who took part in Tuesday's procession of the rebel group have been dismissed.