BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has expressed concern over the government's failure to arrest the "cadres" of the Awami League and its affiliated bodies involved in shooting students during protests against Sheikh Hasina’s regime.
"Why have the Chhatra League and Jubo League cadres and activists who shot at students still not been arrested?" he questioned the interim government on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters at the grave of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, Rizvi said it is incomprehensible why the government is unable to track down those responsible for the deaths of Abu Sayed, Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho, and many other innocent students.
The BNP leader warned that if the culprits involved in the mass killings during the student-led uprising are not brought to justice, they may resort to even more destructive acts of sabotage.
Rizvi, accompanied by MA Malek, president of the UK chapter of the BNP who returned home after a long time, visited Ziaur Rahman's grave and laid a wreath in homage to the BNP founder. They also offered prayers seeking the salvation of his departed soul.
Rizvi said that many influential Awami League leaders crossed into India after the mass uprising without facing any challenges or barriers at the border.
“India did not check their passports. They did not even need visas. But ordinary people from Bangladesh need passports and visas to go to India,” he said.
He recalled that BNP leader Salauddin Ahmed was illegally dropped by RAB and police in Indian territory after being made to disappear for nearly two months. “He (Salauddin) had to face charges there and went to jail,” he added.
Rizvi questioned whether India, as a close neighbour and a democratic nation, views Bangladesh through a biased lens. “They ignore the people of Bangladesh and its independence and sovereignty, choosing instead to accept the world’s most repressive and murderous politician, Sheikh Hasina, as a guest.”
He said the Hindu community’s largest religious festival, Durga Puja, ended smoothly due to the government's sincerity and the vigilance of democratic parties, especially the BNP, in guarding puja mandaps day and night.
“However, the Indian media spread false propaganda in various forms, though to no avail. Bangladesh has been exceptionally peaceful with a long history of communal harmony. It is only Sheikh Hasina who has tarnished the nation’s image by repeatedly attacking temples through her agents,” he said.
Rizvi also said that Indian policymakers often echo the rhetoric of the Awami League, giving the impression that they do not need the friendship of the people of Bangladesh. “They rely on the friendship of Sheikh Hasina and Obaidul Quader to maintain their dominance over Bangladesh. Now let the people of India see how peace-loving and democratic the people of Bangladesh are.”
MA Malek, president of the UK BNP and adviser to the party chairperson, returned home on Sunday after 19 years.
