BNP has alleged that police attacked its leaders and activists in front of the party headquarters in Dhaka’s Naya Paltan “without any provocation at the behest of the government.”
"Police without any provocation opened fire on our brethren. They also lobbed teargas and charged baton. They attacked the peaceful gathering of our leaders and activists and created chaos," said BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Wednesday, reports UNB.
He further said: "I think the attack was made following directives of the government and its head. We strongly condemn and protest this attack."
Rizvi made the remarks came while talking to party leaders and activists after the afternoon’s incident.
He also urged the party leaders and workers to exercise restraint and be patient without responding to any act of provocation.
He added that the acting BNP chairman, Tarique Rahman, from London asked them to remain calm too.
Addressing the government, Rizvi said: "You [government] will not be able to suppress our leaders and activists with this type of repressive acts, and bullets and teargas."
Earlier in the day, a fierce clash broke out between police and BNP leaders and activists in front of the BNP office, leaving around 50 people, including policemen, injured.
Witnesses said BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas and his several hundred supporters had marched towards their party office around 12:40pm and started staging a showdown there, halting traffic on the road, before he bought a party nomination from.
The clash ensued when police locked into an altercation with the BNP leaders and activists over clearing the road for vehicular movement.
Rizvi said that the leaders and activists of BNP and its affiliated organizations who were injured in the incident included Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s Dhaka University unit leader Abbas, Jubo Dal’s Dhaka South unit leader Mehedi and Motijheel unit leader Moqbul, Swechchhasebak Dal’s Khilgaon unit leader Moktar Hossain, Mugda unit leader Sumon and Kalabagan unit leader Sumon, Mugda BNP leader Arif, Shahjahanpur Chhatra Dal leaders Mohiuddin, Hasan and Tutul, Shahbagh BNP leader Kamal, and Paltan BNP leader Abdul Kader.
Members of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh had provided the wounded BNP men with treatment later inside the party office.
Rizvi urged the law enforcement officials not to indulge in any unfair acts at anybody's behest to maintain peace.
BNP’s Assistant Office Secretary Taiful Islam Tipu said that the sale of their party's nomination forms was halted for two hours due to the clash.
The party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also blamed police for the clash and said it would only hamper the election atmosphere.