The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday announced a seven-day programme, including three-day mourning, to protest the police killing of two leaders of the party’s front organisations in Bhola.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the programmes, beginning on Friday.
During the three-day mourning from Friday to Sunday, he said, black flags would be hoisted and the party flag would be kept at half-mast in all BNP offices across the country, and Doa mahfil would be arranged seeking the salvation of the departed souls of the two slain leaders.
The Bhola district unit Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president, Nure Alam, who had been on life support in a hospital in Dhaka after suffering a birdshot injury from a police shooting, passed away on Wednesday.
Earlier on Sunday, Swechchasebak Dal leader Abdur Rahim died as police opened fire on the opposition activists in Bhola when they were trying to hold a procession protesting corruption and mismanagement in energy sectors.
Fakhrul said that JCD would organise a protest rally in Dhaka on August 6, Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal would hold rallies across the country on August 7, Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal in Dhaka on August 8, Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal in Dhaka on August 10, Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal in Dhaka on August 11, and Swechchasebak would hold rallies across the country on August 12.
Besides, taking a vow to take revenge for the murder of Nure Alam and Abdur Rahim, the BNP secretary general urged the party rank and file to hold a movement instated of shedding tears to save the nation from the fascist rule of the Awami League.
He made the call in a brief address before the namaz-e-Janaza of Nure Alam in front of the BNP’s Naya Paltan central office.
‘No more crying, we have to wake up now holding back tears as the nation must be saved from the oppression of this horrible authoritarian fascist government,’ he said.
Fakhrul said that their party leaders and activists must continue their struggle by turning their grief into strength to restore democracy, free Khaleda Zia from jail and get rid of the 35 lakh cases filed against them.
He said that their party would peacefully wage a strong movement by organising and uniting the entire nation to oust the current government.
‘We will take revenge for the killing of our sons, our brothers Nure Alam and Abdur Rahim, by creating a mass movement,’ he added.
In an emotion-choked voice, the BNP leader said that there was no greater pain than bearing the dead body of a son on the shoulder of a father.
‘We are seeing in front of us the body of our son, Bhola Chhatra Dal president Nure Alam, as he was shot dead by the police forces of this fascist Awami League government. Our Bhola district Swechchasebak Dal leader Abdur Rahim was also shot dead while 19 more people were fighting for their lives at hospitals in Dhaka and Barisal,’ he said.
Fakhrul said that the killing of BNP leaders and activists by the current regime was nothing new.
‘The Awami League government has killed over a thousand leaders and activists of ours and made around 600 others disappear over the past 15 years to cement a one-party rule,’ he said.
Hundreds of leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies started taking positions on the road in front of the BNP central office in the morning as the slain JCD leader’s janaza was scheduled to be held at 11:00am, halting traffic on the busy thoroughfare.
The body of Nure Alam was brought to Naya Paltan central office from the morgue of Dhaka Medical College Hospital at around 12:45pm after the end of the autopsy.
Many JCD leaders and activists were seen crying as the body arrived there.
Fakhrul, along with party senior leaders, paid homage to Nure Alam by placing wreaths on his coffin and draping it with the party flag.
Later, the namaz-e-Janaza of Nure Alam was held in front of the BNP office and then the body was sent to Bhola for burial.
Participating in the namaz-e-Janaza, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury said that the employees of the republic should take written permission to shoot.
‘Today police are firing on the rallies of the opposition without permission,’ he said.
Zafrullah also urged prime minister Sheikh Hasina to apologise to the family of Nure Alam.
‘His [Nure Alam] family should be compensated. The government must ensure it,’ he said.
As part of BNP’s countrywide demonstration programme protesting the ongoing power cuts and mismanagement in the power sector, the leaders and activists of the party gathered in front of their district party office in Bhola on July 31.
The police intercepted them when they tried to stage demonstrations at Kalinath Roy Bazar around 11:30am, triggering a clash.
Later, police fired birdshot and lobbed teargas shells that left Swechchasebak Dal leader, Abdur Rahim, dead and dozens of other leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies, including Nure Alam, injured.
On Thursday, BNP and its associate bodies brought out rallies and processions in different parts of the country while police created obstacles in some places to bring out the procession.
Police obstructed processions of the BNP, Juba Dal, and JCD in districts including Feni, Pabna, Sunamganj, and Bogura.
