The attack on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's motorcade in Feni on Saturday was premeditated, and the ruling party is behind it, said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Speaking at a press briefing in Chittagong Circuit House on Sunday, the attack had also wounded several journalists from different media outlets.
“The judiciary of the country is coming under attack. The media, too, is under attack. No one can act freely here [in Bangladesh],” Fakrul alleged.
He also criticised Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader for saying the BNP had orchestrated the attack on its leader's convoy itself.
“We have nothing to say to Quader if he is going to live in denial. Such remarks will only encourage the terrorists,” Fakhrul said.
“The BNP chairperson was heading towards Cox’s Bazar to join a humanitarian programme. Hundreds of party leaders and activists greeted her on the road. But her convoy came under attack in Feni,” he further added.
The BNP leader demanded immediate arrest and punishment of the perpetrators.
Also Read- Khaleda resumes journey to Cox’s Bazar from Chittagong
BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, who also attended the press briefing, urged everyone to unite to protect the freedom of speech and democracy in Bangladesh.
Earlier on Sunday, during a visit to a Chittagong hospital to see the injured journalists, Fakhrul alleged that the ruling party's “identified cadres” had attacked Khaleda Zia's convoy in Feni.
"The terrorists who attacked our chairperson's convoy, their names and photographs have been published in newspapers. It is now clear that Chhatra League and Awami League cadres were the perpetrators," he told UNB.
Khaleda's motorcade, which started off from Dhaka towards Cox's Bazar on Saturday to distribute relief among the Rohingya refugees, came under attack near Mohammad Ali Bazar in Feni Sadar, near the district border between Feni and Comilla.
Khaleda's car and the first few vehicles in the convoy were not affected, but several other cars, especially the ones carrying journalists from different media houses, were harmed.
Khaleda spent Saturday night in Chittagong and reached Cox's Bazar on Sunday afternoon.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
