The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party said that the road marches are warm-ups for the final push to drive home their one-point demand of resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
BNP on Saturday carried out its Barishal divisional road march in which thousands of leaders and activists participated despite attacks from allegedly by the Bangladesh Chhatra League men, leaving at least 11 BNP men injured.
‘These road marches are part of our ongoing movement and warm-ups for a greater movement in the coming days,’ BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said, addressing a brief rally at Bangabandhu Udyan, popularly known as Bell’s Park in the Barishal city.
Following the rally, a road march began about 11am on Saturday towards Pirojpur district and reached there in the evening
Ignoring downpours that came after the march had hit the road, thousands of BNP leaders and activists participated in the procession, pushing for its one-point demand that the ruling government must resign.
In addition to nearly a thousand pick-ups, trucks and buses, hundreds of microbuses, and more than a thousand motorcycles took part in the road march that entered Pirojpur district town via Rajapur upazila of Jhalokathi district.
Earlier, thousands of leaders and activists from all the 42 upazilas of Barishal division by road and waterways gathered at the spot of the rally.
On the way to Barishal divisional city, short rallies were held at Rupatli in Barishal, Kalijira Bridge, Shatpaika in Jhalkathi, and Bangamata Fazilatunnessa Bridge in Rajapur crossing of Pirojpur.
Many of the participants waved the national and BNP party flags during the road march.
BNP leaders and activists faced three attacks, all in Gournadi upazila. At about 8:30am a bunch of men, allegedly of Bangladesh Chhatra League, stopped a microbus carrying the participants of the road march, in the Gourandi bus stand area on the Barishal-Dhaka highway and beat its passengers, leaving seven leaders of BNP and its allied organiations injured.
In two other attacks, also allegedly by the BCL men at Mahilara and Gaynaghat areas of Gournadi, four other BNP leaders and activists were beaten and injured.
Chief guest of the road march Nazrul Islam Khan said, ‘People are fed up with the price hike of essentials. Today this illegal government is arresting mothers and children and even journalists for protesting against the spiraling of prices.’
The people of the country want freedom from this situation, he said, adding that to realise that demand, BNP has announced the one-point peaceful movement to force this illegal government to step down.
BNP activist Abdur Rahman, who came from Bhola to participate in the road march, said led by former BNP lawmaker Nazim Uddin Alam they took part in the road march with five microbuses, 10 motorcycles, eight pickups and three buses.
Delwar Hossain, who came from Dumki of Patuakhali, said they joined the road march with 200 motorcycles.
Salahuddin of Barguna said more than 5000 of BNP activists from their region joined in this divisional road march.
