The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday said that the ongoing political crisis would be solved in the street if the government.
If words don’t work, the issue will be settled in the streets, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a rally in the Suhrawardy Udyan as the BNP and other opposition parties and alliances held protest rallies across the country on Monday against police and the ruling Awami League attacks on opposition leaders and activists and arrest of party members during Saturday’s sit-in at Dhaka entry points.
Though the protest rallies were held in most places peacefully, the BNP was forced to postpone its scheduled rally in Natore following an attack on the party’s district unit member secretary in the morning.
The BNP rallies also faced police obstruction in Rangpur and Sunamganj, while the BNP alleged that dozens of its leaders and activists were arrested before the rallies.
The ruling Awami League, which had asked its leaders and activists to keep vigil against BNP programmes, also brought out processions and rallies in Badda, Bhasantek, Dakhinkhan, Tegjaon, and Cantonment areas.
New Age correspondent in Natore reported that BNP postponed its scheduled rally in the district town for Monday, following the attack on the party’s district unit member secretary Rahim Newaz, in the morning.
‘We postponed our Monday’s rally as a group of identified activists of the ruling Awami League attacked our party’s district unit member secretary, Rahim Newaz,’ said Shahidul Islam, convener of the Natore district BNP.
He said that Rahim suffered a fracture in his right hand in the attack and that he was now suffering from breathing problems.
Shahidul said that they would lodge a case with the local police station in this connection.
BNP said that Rahim was attacked in the Gurpatti area of the district with sticks and iron rods while he was heading towards the rally venue by a motorcycle from Contacted, Natore district AL general secretary Shariful Islam denied the allegation and claimed that someone from the BNP might have attacked Rahim Newaz due to their internal conflict.
‘If anyone tries to create any chaos in the town over the incident, AL leaders and activists will resist them at any cost,’ he added.
Nasim Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Natore Police Station, told New Age that no one had lodged a complaint until Monday afternoon.
In Rangpur, the BNP’s protest rally had been stopped by the police.
BNP organised a programme in Rangpur city in the afternoon to protest against the attack on the party’s sit-in programme in Dhaka.
Rangpur Metropolitan BNP convener Samsuzzaman Samu said that the police did not allow the party to hold any programmes.
‘When we marched peacefully, the police stopped us,’ he said.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police’s Kotwali officer-in-charge, Mahfuzar Rahman, said that the BNP did not take permission for the rally and was asked not to create any chaos on the road.
In Sunamganj, the district unit BNP broke the police barricade and held the protest rally around 12:00 noon.
The procession began at the BNP office near the old bus stand in the city. Police stopped the BNP rally in Kamarkhal, triggering a clash.
At one stage, the BNP broke the police barricade and held a protest march.
Police put up another barricade at Kalibari Point, and the BNP held a rally there.
Addressing the main BNP rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir alleged that police were raiding the houses of BNP leaders and activists.
He said that such arrests and attacks by police and AL people could not stop the BNP’s ongoing one-point movement of ousting Sheikh Hasina from power to hold the next general election under a party-neutral caretaker government.
‘We want an election, but it should be held under a party-neutral caretaker government. If words don’t work, the issue will be settled on the streets. We have covered a lot of ground to press home our demand. Our victory is certain,’ he said.
He said that the next course of action would be announced after a discussion with like-minded parties and alliances.
‘The people of the country have awakened en masse on one-point demand — resignation of the government,’ Fakhrul said.
He said that the Awami League government has no support at home and abroad.
Fakhrul also said that the Awami League was bowled out by BNP ‘googly’ on Friday and Saturday.
He said that AL could not even understand the ball’s flight.
‘The worst thing they did... this happens in this country... Gayeshwar [BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy], who took part in the liberation war, was thrown on the road by beating and continued beaten. Then they staged a drama. They took a video while serving him food. Could this tarnish the image of Gayeshwar? No,’ Fakhrul said.
The BNP was supposed to hold the programme in front of the party’s Naya Paltan central office. The party, however, shifted the programme on Sunday night to Suhrawardy Udyan.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police has given permission to the BNP to hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital on 26 conditions, including one that the party would not broadcast the speech of any convicted person during the rally.
Alongside the BNP, as part of a simultaneous movement, Ganatantra Mancha, the 12-party alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samamana Jote, the Liberal Democratic Party, Gono Forum, the Bangladesh People’s Party, Gana Odhikar Parishad, the Democratic Left Alliance, the Bangladesh Labour Party, Samamana Ganatantrik Peshajibi Jote, and the Bangladesh Sadaran Chatra Odhikar Sangrakhan Parishad also held protest rallies on Monday.
The Amar Bangladesh Party also held a protest rally in the city.
Several hundred BNP leaders and activists were injured in attacks by police and ruling party people during Saturday’s sit-in programmes at four entry points to the city.
