The leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organizations held protest programs across the country on Wednesday, demanding justice for the massacre allegedly committed by the Sheikh Hasina government.
During the demonstrations, the leaders said that the actions of the Awami government, which included killing and torturing them and students, have made the government unworthy of the people's vote.
As part of the central program, activists held a protest march in front of the BNP office in Dhaka. Additionally, smaller protest marches were held in various locations across Dhaka, all demanding justice for the torture perpetrated by the Hasina government.
According to the pre-announced schedule, BNP leaders and activists, along with associated organizations, staged demonstrations in front of BNP offices in various districts, including Dhaka.
On Tuesday, the BNP announced a three-day program to be held nationwide on August 14, 15, and 16. They said that sit-ins would take place in front of all party offices across the country, including the central office, on August 14 and 15.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said: "The sit-in program is being held in front of party offices at the initiative of the BNP across the country on Wednesday and Thursday to demand justice for the massacre of students by the fascist Sheikh Hasina and the murder of Hasina's accomplices."
During protests in various districts, including Gopalganj, Bagerhat, Gaibandha, Barisal, Bhola, Dinajpur, Sherpur, Joypurhat, Chuadanga, Jhalkathi, and Kaliganj, the leaders and activists demanded that the Sheikh Hasina government be brought to justice.
Gopalganj district unit BNP Convener Sharif Rafiquzzaman said that over the past 17 years, BNP leaders and workers have been tortured, disappeared, and murdered. Some were even shot and killed during the student movement.
“We demand the prosecution of Sheikh Hasina for her involvement in these murders,” he added.
This program was announced to demand justice for the genocide allegedly committed by former Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, who resigned during the mass student uprising and left the country. On August 16, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s birthday will be observed, along with prayers for those killed in the anti-discrimination student movement.
Demand for action against police crimes
Meanwhile, Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Senior Joint Secretary General of the BNP, said that the police force created by Sheikh Hasina should be identified and punished as soon as possible. He added that those within the government who aided the police in killing innocent students should also be brought to justice.
Rizvi made these statements on Wednesday afternoon while visiting injured students from the anti-discrimination movement at Suhrawardy Hospital in the capital.
Addressing the interim government, he also called for a ban on the use of brutal weapons, such as shotguns, in any protest. He emphasized that the current interim government is indebted to the sacrifices made by these students and teenagers. The government should act in accordance with the aspirations of the people.
He further said, “Different national heroes around the world leave behind significant achievements, but we have witnessed Sheikh Hasina's 'achievements' as innocent children cry in the hospital.”
Additionally, the Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal announced separate two-day programs on Tuesday. The Jubo Dal held protest marches and rallies in all districts, metropolises, thana-upazilas, and municipal units across the country on Wednesday, with the program continuing on Thursday. These organizations are conducting these activities to demand the trial of Sheikh Hasina, who they allege "instructed" the killing of students during the anti-discrimination student movement.
