Home ›› 11 Feb 2023 ›› Governance
The union-level march programme of BNP was observed in all the unions across the country to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
The leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies alleged that the police and the Awami League activists obstructed them while holding the programme in different areas.
UNB correspondents in Narayanganj, Sirajganj, Natore, Bhola, Bogura Jamalpur, Gazipur, Barguna and Narsingdi reported that over 100 BNP leaders and activists were injured in clashes with police and AL men and as the party faced obstructions in different places.
12 activists injured in clash with police
Twelve BNP activists were injured in a clash between police and BNP during their march at Panchrukhi in Araihazar upazila of Narayanganj district on Saturday.
BNP former joint secretary of district unit Lutfur Rahman said they brought out a procession as part of their scheduled march programme at union level around 10am.
When the procession reached Panchrukhi, police obstructed them, leading to a chase and counter-chase.
Police also lobbed tear gas shells and charged batons to disperse them, leaving 12 people injured.
The injured were given first aid.
19 injured in AL-BNP clash in Sirajganj
At least 19 people were injured in a clash between the activists of Awami League and opposition BNP during the latter’s march in Sirajganj sadar upazila on Saturday morning.
Twelve motorbikes were vandalised and three others torched during the clash.
Md Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said brickbats were thrown from a BNP procession when a meeting of the AL was going on in Paikpara Bazar around 10am.
At one stage, both groups locked into a clash while police charged batons to bring the situation under control, he said.
A total of 12 motorbikes were damaged and three others set on fire, the OC said, adding that six people were detained from the spot in this incident.
A case will be registered in this connection, he added.
Kalia Haripu union Chairman and AL leader Md Abdus Sabur Mandal alleged that the BNP men swooped on them when they were holding a meeting over their afternoon’s programme.
“BNP men vandalised and torched the bikes when they fled the spot,” he claimed.
On the other hand, union unit BNP Organising Secretary Md Monirul Islam Monir claimed that brickbats were thrown on their procession from the AL’s meeting.
“We only protested the incident, but no vandalism was carried out,” he said.
BNP leaders allege obstruction by AL men in Natore
BNP leaders and activists have alleged that some of their activists were injured in attacks by AL men during the ongoing union-level march in different upazilas of Natore on Saturday.
Shahidul Islam Bachhu, convener of Naldanga upazila unit BNP, alleged that, the ruling party activists swooped on their leaders and activists when they brought a procession in Madhnagar Rail Station area under Madhnagar union around 10am.
Several activists sustained injuries in the attack. However, police brought the situation under control later, he said.
Abul Kalam, officer-in-charge of Naldanga Police Station, said a scuffle took place between the two groups in the rail station area.
He said he had no idea about the injury in the clash.
Apart from the Naldanga, allegations of attacks on the BNP march were reported from Kafuria of Sadar and Kalme union of Singra upazilas.
Besides, Ganatantra Mancha, Ganatantrik Bam Oikya, the 12-Party Alliance, Samamona Jote, LDP, Gonoforum, and People’s Party, are observing a similar programme in the different areas of the capital as part of their simultaneous movement.
Ganatantra Mancha is observing the programme at the divisional and district levels.
BNP senior leaders said their programme will be observed only at the union level as part of the party’s move to involve people from the grassroots in their ongoing anti-government movement.
On February 4, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the march programme at the union level from a rally in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office.
“Our program this time will be at the union level. We’ll march at the union level across the country on February 11 (Saturday), as part of the simultaneous movement to protest against the increase in prices of daily necessities, including gas electricity, rice and lentils and for the restoration of democracy, the resignation of the government and implementation of our 10-point demand,” he said.
Talking to UNB on Friday, BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the main goal of their march programme at all unions is to spread the ongoing movement at the grassroots level.
“Our movement will get a new dimension through our march programme at the union level,” he said.
It was the fifth program of the simultaneous movement after the mass processions on December 24 and 30, sit-in on January 11 and rallies, processions on January 16 and rallies on January 25 and February 4.
