At least 6,100 unnamed people and 912 leaders, activists, and supporters of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party have been prosecuted in 17 cases in 12 districts, including in Dhaka and Chattogram, following Tuesday’s attack and violence on the party’s road-march programmes.
In its statement on Wednesday, the BNP said that the party’s peaceful road-march programmes came under attack by ruling Awami League supporters and police.
One activist was killed in Lakshmipur district, and hundreds of others were injured in several places in clashes triggered by the attacks during opposition protests across the country demanding the resignation of the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.
The police in different places said that they were attacked by opposition activists while confirming the arrests of at least 55 opposition leaders and activists in connection with the incidents in Dhaka and other places.
According to the police and BNP, four cases were filed in Bogura, two cases each in Dhaka, Feni, and Joypurhat, while the police filed cases in Khulna, Kishoreganj, Pirojpur, Khagrachari, Cumilla, Noakhali, and Sherpur.
In those districts, the police and opposition parties stated that at least 6,100 unnamed people and 912 BNP leaders, activists, and supporters had been prosecuted in those 17 cases.
Md Manzur Rahman, assistant inspector general (media and public relations) at the police headquarters, said on Wednesday night that he had information about the number of arrests made and cases filed over the incidents.
In Dhaka, two cases were filed against over 1,200 leaders and activists of the main opposition over Tuesday’s clash between Bangladesh Chhatra League and BNP activists in front of Government Bangla College in Mirpur during the opposition’s road march.
Darus Salam police station officer-in-charge Aminul Bashar said they arrested 18 opposition activists after the clash.
A Bangla College student, Rubel Hossain, filed one of the cases with Darus Salam police station against 120 BNP and their leaders and activists of associate bodies on Tuesday while mentioning some 500 unnamed others.
The student filed the case on the charge of setting fire to a motorcycle during the march and attacking and injuring college students with the intention of killing them with sticks, police said in a statement on Wednesday.
Bangla College employee Mohidur Rahman lodged the second case with the same police station, accusing 109 people of vandalising government buildings and damaging other government properties.
Asked why BCL was not named in the case, police officer Aminul Bashar said that their investigation would find who was responsible for the incident.
In Feni, two cases were filed against 88 leaders and supporters and 2,000 other unnamed people following the reported political clashes and attacks during the road march.
Feni town police box in-charge Hayat Ullah filed the two cases, said Feni Model police station officer-in-charge Nizam Uddin.
No reports of arrests were available until Wednesday afternoon.
District BNP member secretary Alal Uddin Alal said that the ruling Awami League and the police were irritated by the huge presence of opposition supporters.
Bogura police superintendent Sudip Kumar Chakraborty said that their three officers and an individual had filed four cases in two police stations in the district, accusing 89 people and 450 others unnamed.
He said that five people had been arrested.
The Joypurhat police station officer-in-charge, Humayun Kabir, said that one of their sub-inspectors, Mohammad Rubel, had filed a case accusing 81 BNP supporters, while 500 others were mentioned as unnamed.
In another case filed by a Bangladesh Chhatra League leader, he said that 116 people were accused and 500 were unnamed. He said that two ‘troublemakers’ were arrested.
Khagrachari police station officer-in-charge Afirur Rahman said sub-inspector Minhazul Abedin filed one case, accusing 157 people and 700 unnamed others. He said that 15 people were arrested over Tuesday’s trouble.
Kishoreganj police additional superintendent Monotosh Biswash said that a case was filed by the police officer against 19 oppositional leaders and activists, while 70 others were mentioned as unnamed following the clash on Tuesday.
None have been arrested so far, he added.
Pirojpur police additional superintendent, Sheikh Mustafizur Rahman, said that a case was filed against 80 people and 300 other unnamed people, in which 15 opposition activists were held until Wednesday evening.
In a statement on Wednesday, the BNP said that 310 cases had been filed against their leaders and activists since May 19, accusing 11,000 people. Some 1,300 leaders and activists were arrested in the cases, according to the party statement.
Amnesty International, in a statement, noted the escalating tensions, use of force, and an increasing crackdown on dissenting voices in the run-up to elections in Bangladesh as ‘alarming.’
