The BNP on Monday staged demonstration across the country protesting arrest, torture, kidnapping and extra-judicial killings of the party leaders and activists. To observe the programme, the party held protest rallies and processions in the city, district and upazila headquarters. As part of the countrywide programme, the Dhaka city unit of the party held a rally inside the National Press Club although the party had planned to hold it either in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office, or in front of the National Press Club or at Suhrawardy Udyan. “We submitted a letter to the DMP seeking any of three venues. But the authorities did not allow us in any of these places,” said Abdus Salam, member secretary of the city unit. BNP is also scheduled to hold mass hunger strike from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday next also in the city, district and the upzaila headquarters on the same issues. The party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul said that the programmes were also announced in protest of cases filed against the party chairperson Begum Kahleda Zia and senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman. Addressing the city rally, Mirza Fakhrul alleged that none is safe in the country now. He claimed that 310 leaders and activists of his party were killed or abducted by the ‘police, RAB and the cadres of Awami League’ since January last year. “Total 272, out of 310, were killed. 25 others fell victims to enforced disappearance,” he said.But he failed to place any list of victims. When sought the list from some newspapers, he said, “It would be made public in appropriate time”. He, however, claimed that they had collected the addresses and photographs of the victims through party sources and those are now available with the party.Dhaka city unit BNP convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka presided over the rally while the party vice chairman Abdullah-al-Noman, chairperson’s adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Juba Dal president Sayed Moazzem Hossain Alal and others addressed the function.
