Dhaka, Jul 29 (PTI) At least 90 activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) were arrested on Saturday as a five-hour sit-in protest here turned violent when police in riot gears clashed with protesters who tried to enforce road blockades demanding an interim caretaker government ahead of the January 2024 elections.
Witnesses said the opposition activists set on fire at least four passenger buses, and a police car, damaged several other vehicles and attacked the police armoured personnel carriers (APC) with stones and bamboo sticks.
The police fired rubber bullets, tear gas canisters, and used batons and arrested 90 BNP activists as they vandalised at least 30 vehicles — at least 10 police vehicles, and injured 19 members of the law enforcement agency.
“We are going to file cases against them on charges of sabotage and attacks,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) spokesman Faruque Hossain told reporters.
Two injured senior BNP leaders Goyeshwar Roy and Amanullah Aman were also taken into custody as they were leading the protests.
Roy was released later while television footage showed police offering the BNP member a lavish lunch alongside a senior police officer at DMP’s Detective Branch ahead of his release.
Aman was admitted to the state-run National Cardiac Institute as he was suffering from heart issues but police made no comment on whether or not he was under arrest.
The BNP headed by former prime minister Khalida Zia is campaigning for the resignation of the incumbent Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina, claiming that no election would be fair and credible under the current government.
The opposition protests disrupted transport links between the capital and other parts of the country causing traffic gridlocks inside Dhaka city and its entry points but no major casualty was reported despite the clashes.
An officer at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police outpost, however, said six protestors were admitted with injuries to the capital’s main state-run health facility.
The BNP enforced the protest despite a police ban a day after the party staged a huge rally in the capital even as the ruling Awami League announced a counter-rally in a demonstration of strength by both parties.
The Awami League announced that it would stage rallies at the capital and all sub-districts in unitary Bangladesh on Sunday, protesting “BNP vandalism”.
“The BNP has again resorted to their arson campaign when Awami League can’t stay as a silent spectator. We will discharge our responsibility,” party general secretary Obaidul Quader told the media.
He added: “We will stay in the field until the election.” Shortly after the Awami League announcement, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party would organise nationwide rallies on Monday to protest assaults on its activists.
“We had plans to stage the countrywide rallies tomorrow (Sunday), but rescheduled it to avoid an issue in view of the Awami League announcement,” Alamgir said in a press conference.
BNP chairperson Zia, a two-time premier, is debarred from taking part in political activities as a convict of two graft charges with a court handing her down a total of 17 years of imprisonment.
The government however allowed her to stay at home using a special legal discretion.
“No election can be held under this illegal, unconstitutional government. We have only one demand – the government must resign and dissolve parliament,” Fakhrul said in an address to supporters during the Friday rally, renewing the BNP demand for an election-time caretaker administration.
This was the first rally by the BNP after protest marches earlier this month following its announcement of a “final push” to topple the Hasina government before the next general election scheduled to be held after six months.
The BNP is currently waging a campaign for holding the early January 2024 elections under a non-party caretaker government, fearing rigged polling.
The Awami League has declined it, saying the elections would be held under the incumbent government in line with the Constitution.
Apart from BNP, 37 like-minded political parties and alliances are also arranging separate rallies in different city areas to press for the resignation of the Awami League government and demand that the polls be held under a neutral government. PTI AR PY PY PY
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