BNP on Saturday announced a demonstration programme for Monday and Tuesday to protest what it said the killing of people in different parts of the country on Independence Day.
Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir came up with the announcement at a press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office after a virtual meeting of BNP standing committee members.
However, the party did not formally extend its support to Hefazat-e-Islam’s dawn-to-dusk hartal to be enforced across the country on Sunday protesting the killing of its activists by police and the attack on them by the “supporters of the ruling party”.
Fakhrul said they will stage demonstrations and take out processions in all the cities, including Dhaka, on Monday protesting the killing of people in ‘peaceful demonstrations’ on Independence Day.
He said they will also hold similar programmes on Tuesday in all the district towns on the same ground.
Asked whether BNP has any support to Hefazat’s hartal, Fakhrul parried the question saying they are only going to protest the killing of people on Independence Day.
“I’m saying very specifically that every organisation and every citizen has a constitutional right to register protest or express his/her views. We announced the programme to protest the firing of bullets on those who tried to exercise their right of freedom of expression,” he said.
The BNP leader said Hefazat has the right to enforce a hartal by exercising their democratic rights.
He also said it will be an undemocratic and reckless act if the government tries to resist or stop those who have convened the hartal. “No one can expect such an action by the government. The government has to shoulder the responsibility if any unwarranted situation arises in the country over the matter.”
Fakhrul said the bloodshed in Baitul Mukarram, Chattogram and Brahmanbaria through the indiscriminate firing and baton charge by police and Awami cadres’ attack is undoubtedly one of the stigmatised incidents in Bangladesh's 50-year of history. This is an unprecedented event. We’ve already condemned and protested such incidents and killings,” he said.
The BNP leader said the government has exposed its “fascist” character once again with the killing of people on Friday.
He said the ruling party has been trying to suppress the opposition and dissent by resorting to killing, enforced disappearance and repressive acts in order to retain its “illegitimate” power. “It’s trying to perpetuate authoritarian rule by using all the state machinery.”
