BNP sends letter to embassies calling for int'l probe into recent violence; alleges ruling party's involvement

The BNP has sent letters to multiple embassies in Bangladesh, mostly those in the Western bloc, calling for investigations into the incidents of arson, vandalism, and attacks during ongoing strikes and blockades, starting from the violent events around the Dhaka mass gathering on 28 October.

In the letter supposedly dispatched on 20 November, the party has asked the government and law enforcement agencies be held accountable for these incidents, as per BNP sources.

The Business Standard has not yet been able to independently verify whether any embassy had received BNP's letter. 

"Such incidents of arson attacks and deliberate inaction of the law enforcers to stop these incidents or arrest actual perpetrators prove the prevalent claim that arson attacks are carried out by the ruling AL, with police complicity," the unsigned letter reads.

"In fact, we have every reason to believe, AL goons and politicised members of the police are purposefully setting multiple vehicles and buses ablaze. Several video footage circulated in social media depict drivers or their assistants stressing how police or ruling activists are responsible for igniting their vehicles."

The letter also mentions the arrest of Jubo League leader Nurul Uddin Tipu in connection with the incidents of arson attacks.

"In Feni, an AL leader named Nurul Uddin Tipu was caught red-handed on 6 November in a case filed over torching a truck from a sugar factory in Chattogram," the letter reads.

The letter also highlighted the release of Awami League activist Tashreek Zaman Rifat from Natore, who was arrested at a scene while wearing a mask.

"Police initially suspected him with BNP affiliation, but later discovered he was an AL activist and released immediately," the letter reads. 

Furthermore, BNP criticised the extensive deployment of law enforcement.

"Hundreds of patrol teams of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and hundreds of platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed across Bangladesh, in addition to the full-fledged mobilization and operation of police, armed with substantial weaponry, resembling a war zone.

"Given this extensive security setup, it is implausible that BNP would engage in acts of violence or arson. Instead, the heightened security measures appear to be aimed at intensifying suppression and sheltering the ruling AL activists for anarchy, rather than addressing any credible threat."

The letter further says that AL has "a long history of orchestrating bus torching for political gains", citing such instances throughout the years.

"AL has an appalling history of arson attacks for political advantages, as evident in numerous incidents.

It said, "This way, the regime makes farcical claim that senior BNP leaders, dedicated to reinstating democracy and safeguarding voting rights in Bangladesh through a series of nonviolent and peaceful programs, have committed organised crime to engage in such acts of violence," the letter says.