Attacks, clashes mar BNP’s union-level protests
Police join ruling party men to block anti-government demonstration at the grassroots
Amid obstruction by police, attacks by ruling Awami League leaders and activists, and sporadic political clashes, the BNP observed its nationwide union-level protest march on Saturday to press home a 10-point-demand including poll-time non-partisan caretaker government and protest against rising commodity prices.
Till Saturday evening, there were reports about police obstruction at 32 places, attacks by ruling party men at 20 spots and political clashes at 4 unions, which left 163 individuals injured, according to The Business Standard district correspondents.
However, BNP's central leaders said their protests came under attacks at a minimum of 50 spots, which left 300 injured.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"They attacked us in almost every district," said Taiful Islam Tipu, assistant office secretary of BNP, adding residences of BNP men were vandalised, ransacked and set on fire in some places.
In Sirajganj, at least 19 people were injured in a clash between Awami League and BNP activists. Some 12 motorbikes were vandalised and three were torched during the clash.
There had been tensions centering the political face-off between the Awami League and BNP and its associate bodies on Saturday.
Ruling party leaders and activists took to the streets yesterday morning to observe "peace rallies" in counter to the anti-government campaign at the grassroots.
Similar to Sirajganj, a similar political clash between the two parties broke out at Araihazar of Narayanganj leaving at least 15 people injured. The clash erupted as BNP men gathered on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Panchrukhi Bazar area of Satgram union of the upazila around 1 pm.
Narayanganj BNP leaders alleged that police fired at them without any provocation during the march.
In Jhalkathi's Nabagram union, there were allegations of police obstruction and attacks by Awami League and its youth wing Jubo League, leaving ten BNP men injured.
In Narsingdi, police snatched the BNP banner and foiled the party's march led by the party's Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan.
Abdul Moyeen Khan said police obstruction had marred their peaceful protest.
"Since we do not believe in violent politics, we did not engage in any conflict even in the face of incitement by Awami League and obstruction by the police," he said.
The Business Standard district correspondents reported similar attacks on the political opposition in Gazipur, Jashore, Tangail, Lakshmipur, Khagrachari, Natore and Bhola.
Besides, Ganatantra Mancha, Ganatantrik Bam Oikya, the 12-Party Alliance, Samamona Jote, LDP, Gonoforum, and People's Party, also observed a similar programme in the different areas of the capital as part of their simultaneous movement.
Ganatantra Mancha observed the programme at the divisional and district levels.
BNP's erstwhile ally Jamaat has also held protests across the country. But the party could not hold a rally at Baitul Mokarram in Dhaka as police obstructed citing permission issues.
On 4 February, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the union-level protest.
According to top BNP leaders, the party is preparing party men from the grassroots to shape a Dhaka-centric anti-government movement in the coming months.
