The BNP-led 18-party opposition combine is enforcing a 72-hour countrywide rail, road and waterway blockade starting today, just 25 hours after its previous spell of 71-hour blockade ended.
The opposition’s previous plan was to observe demonstration programmes around the country for today protesting the repression on leaders and activists.
At 11:30am on Friday, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the demonstration programme. At first they wanted to hold the programme in the capital’s Suhrawardy Uddyan. Police rejected their application, he claimed.
Later, they sought permission to hold a rally in front of the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters. Police reportedly rejected that too.
Around 7:30pm, Rizvi called another briefing in which he told journalists that police had denied them permission to hold programmes in the capital.
Around 9:30pm, from another briefing, Rizvi made the announcement for the fresh blockade.
At least 21 people, including two in an arson attack on a passenger bus in the capital’s Shahbagh on Thursday night, were killed around the country during blockade violence.
The announcement comes only six hours after at least 14 top opposition leaders were sued in a case filed in connection with the Shahbagh arson attack.
Party insiders have said although the initial announcement was for a 72-hour programme, there are chances that that it may be extended, just like the previous blockade programme which was extended twice.
In recent time, this is the first instance of the opposition staging a major programme on Saturday – a weekly holiday.
Earlier, around 7:30pm on Friday, BNP’s ally Jamaat-e-Islami’s Assistant Secretary General Barrister Abdur Razzaque met opposition chief Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office.
Party insiders said Razzaque and Khaleda discussed their next course of action.
Meanwhile, protesting repression on opposition leaders and activists, local units of BNP in Dinajpur, Chittagong, Bogra and Cox’s Bazar have called daylong hartal for tomorrow, which is likely to be enforced alongside the blockade.
On Friday after the Jumma prayers, the opposition alliance offered Gayebana Janaza in Nayapaltan, praying for salvation of the souls of those killed in the past three days’ violence.
After the janaza, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir once again said his party wanted to hold polls through compromise and understating with the ruling party.
“I will request the Election Commission again ... there is still time in your hands. Postpone the election schedule of a one-sided election take initiatives to hold an inclusive election,” he said.
That was the first time that Fakhrul came out in public after November 25, when the opposition announced the blockade programme. He, however, left the area on a motorbike almost immediately after the janaza prayers were over.
Meanwhile, protesting repression on opposition leaders and activists, local units of BNP in Dinajpur, Chittagong, Bogra and Cox’s Bazar have called daylong hartals for tomorrow.