BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday alleged that police are trying to hush up its failure and indifference to contain violence in Dhaka’s New Market area and the involvement of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) in it.
“BNP thinks that this illegitimate government is resorting to its old game. While people are blaming police inaction and indifference for not being able to stop the clashes for two days in a row, the police are trying to cover up their own failures and Awami cadres’ involvement by arresting innocent BNP leader Makbul and filing cases against others purely with a political motive,” he said.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, the BNP leader also said their party is deeply concerned and upset over the series of clashes between traders and Dhaka College students in the New Market area that killed two people and injured many others, including journalists.
“This incident has exposed how fragile the law and order situation in the country is. A suspicion has been created in public minds over the inaction of police as horrific attacks and counter-attacks happened and terrorists wearing helmets and equipped with arms and weapons beat people to death in police’s presence,” he said.
Fakhrul alleged that cases were filed against 1,200 people mentioning the names of 24 leaders of BNP and its associate bodies instead of arresting the real offenders who engaged in the clashes wearing helmets. “BNP strongly protests and expresses anger over it,” he added.
He said it has been proved through different media reports that the “cadres” of Chhatra League were involved in the violence. “At least three people--who are active activists of Dhaka College Chhatra League--have been identified from the video footages. It is also clear from the media reports that the terrorists of various groups of Chhatra League were responsible for this incident mainly due to collect extortion and establish their supremacy,” he said.
The BNP leader also said the ruling party student body leaders have long been indulging in massive extortion and terrorist activities in the adjoining areas of New Market: “Chhatra League and Juba League are establishing a reign of terror with the help of police. This entire area is under the control of Chhatra League.”
Stating that there are many groups of Dhaka College Chhatra League in the area in absence of any specific committee of the ruling party student body, he said the incident of clashes often occurs there due to conflicts among those groups.
Fakhrul said their party thinks that the government is deliberately implicating BNP in New Market violence to divert people’s attention to a different direction from its failure to deliver on all fronts including controlling soaring prices of daily essentials and rampant corruption.
“The government is conspiring to arrest BNP leaders and activists in the same way as before. Lawsuits, arrests, enforced disappearances, murders and assassinations are the main weapons of this government and it is trying to keep BNP away from politics by using these weapons,” he alleged.
The BNP leader said the present “unelected” Awami League government has taken a stance against the country’s people by using all the state machinery to stay in power illegally for the last decade.
“There is now no security in people's lives and no business environment. The judiciary has been politicized while corruption has been institutionalized. Human rights are being grossly violated. A fascist state system has been established by enacting repressive laws one after another in violation of the constitution,” he observed.
He said BNP will stage rallies in all metropolitan cities, including in the capital, on April 26 demanding the release of arrested BNP leader Makbul Hossain and the withdrawal of false cases filed by police in connection with the bloody violence in the New Market area.