Jamaat also calls for 3-day blockade starting 31 October

Jamaat-e-Islami has called for a three-day blockade on vehicle movement on road, rail and waterway starting 31 October, coinciding with the blockade announced earlier by the BNP.

The blockade was announced in a statement signed by Jamaat-e-Islami's Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum.

"In protest against the arrest of activists, including Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, and the police's obstruction of the mass meeting announced by Jamaat on 28 October, and the unjust arrest of the leaders and activists who came to attend the mass meeting, we are announcing a three day blockade across the country tomorrow," he said.

In the statement, he said various opposition parties, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP, announced to hold a mass rally in the capital Dhaka on 28 October.

The law and order forces of the country, instead of cooperating in the implementation of the programme of the peaceful mass rally, obstructed leaders and activists from coming to the assembly.

The leaders and activists who came to the rally were searched after getting them down from vehicles and many were arrested.

"Awami terrorists attacked a peaceful assembly of opposition parties and law and order forces broke up the rally using tear gas, bullets and baton charged activists," the statement reads.

Four people including journalists and BNP activists were killed and thousands of activists were injured by teargas and bullets fired by the police. Around 2,000 leaders and activists of opposition parties including Jamaat-e-Islami have been arrested in the last few days in connection with mass gatherings and hartals, said the Jamaat leader.

BNP recently announced a blockade on 31 October, 1 and 2 November in protest of Sunday's detention of the party's General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir, the attacks on the 28 October citywide rallies and the killing of numerous party activists.