The BNP has announced a three-day all-out blockade program across the country from tomorrow to protest the police attack on Saturday’s mass rally, the arrest of senior leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and others, and harassment amid its ongoing one-point movement for the resignation of the government.
The blockade will be enforced to stop road, rail and waterways communications throughout the country. Like-minded opposition parties and alliances will also observe the blockade, party sources said.
The BNP observed a daylong hartal on Sunday to protest against the police attack.
On Saturday, at least two persons died during the clashes—a police constable and a bystander. On Sunday, four other deaths were reported in Dhaka and Lalmonirhat.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made the announcement in a virtual press conference.
He said that the blockades will be held in protest against the detention of Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul in the morning, the assaults during Saturday’s rally, and the tragic killings of several party activists. The announcement comes after BNP men were involved in deadly clashes across the country with the law enforcement agencies and Awami League members.
Rizvi alleged that many of our leaders and activists are in prisons across the country. Many are victims of enforced disappearance or killed.
He claimed that 960 leaders and activists from all over the country including the capital were arrested from the time of the mass rally till Sunday afternoon.
Additionally, law enforcement agencies conducted search operations at the houses of several senior BNP leaders, including Mirza Abaas, Abdul Awal Mintu, and Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury.
Rizvi claimed that more than 3,000 leaders and activists were injured in the attack by the police and the ruling party on Saturday. “Some 2,640 leaders and activists have been arrested in the last five days and 45 false cases have been filed,” he claimed.
Fakhrul denied bail
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul was detained at his Gulshan home by the Detective Branch (DB) of police at around 9:30am. His wife, Rahat Ara Begum, said some DB officers arrived at their residence in the morning, and the BNP leader talked to all of them.
Md Faruk Hossain, deputy commissioner (media) of the DMP, confirmed his arrest at about 8:30pm, saying the BNP leader had been sent to court.
A Dhaka court at night ordered Mirza Fakhrul to be sent to jail in a case filed over an attack on the chief justice's residence on Saturday.
Police produced the BNP leader in the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court, requesting that he be kept in jail for the sake of investigation. Fakhrul’s lawyer applied for bail.
After hearing both sides, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shafi Uddin turned down the bail plea and granted the police's request.
Fifty-nine individuals from the BNP are accused in the case. Besides Fakhrul some of the notable names are BNP standing committee members Mirza Abbas and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury as well as vice chairmen Barkat Ullah Bulu and Abdul Awal Mintoo.
According to the case documents, before the start of the BNP's rally on Saturday, party leaders and activists vandalized the chief justice's home. Later, a case was filed at Ramna police station in this connection.
On the other hand, another Dhaka court granted a five-day remand for six individuals, including BNP leader Ishraque Hossain's brother Ishfaq Hossain, in a case filed at Paltan police station.
The accused were presented in court by Paltan police last night, where the investigating officer sought a seven-day remand.
Advocate Mosleh Uddin Jasim, representing the accused, said: "We have not been informed of the charges against them. The accused are innocent. Ishfaq Hossain, son of former mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, studies in London. He arrived in the country three days ago and is not involved in politics. We request bail for the accused."