Staff Reporter :
At least 75 people were reportedly injured in police actions against the processions brought out by the BNP in Faridpur, Habiganj and few other districts on Tuesday demaning release of party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
In addition, more than 70 party leaders and workers were taken in to custody.
The processions were part of the programme previously announced.
BNP Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi condemned the police attack on party’s rallies in different districts and demanded immediate release of the detained party men across the country.
He was addressing a press briefing in the party’s Nayapaltan office on the day.
In Habiganj, at least 50 BNP leaders and activists were injured, 20 of them were shot at as police fired rubber bullets on a procession.
Hundreds of supporters of BNP district unit carried out a procession at Shayestaganj in Habiganj town around 11:00am.
“At one stage, police opened fire on the procession without any provocation,” said the mayor of the municipality and the district unit BNP General Secretary GK Gaus.
District Juba Dal General Secretary Mia Md. Ilias, upazila Juba Dal President Oliur Rahman, BNP activist Abdul Motin Mia, Badshah Siddiqui, Nasiruddin, Abul Bashar, Selim Ahmed and Tajul Islam were among the wounded leaders and activists, Gaus said.
Police arrested two BNP activists named Faruque Ahmed and Kajal Mia.
Habiganj Additional Superintendent of Police, Ayatun Nabi, claimed that the police did not attack untoward. When police were attacked by the BNP men, then they fired to protect themselves.
In Faridpur, the law enforcers obstructed BNP’s procession in Super Market area in Sadar upazila around 11:30am, triggering a clash between them.
Shama Obayed, the Central Organising Secretary of the party alleged that police attack on the BNP’s peaceful procession without any provocation.
She said, police detained 20 BNP men including Syed Modares Ali Isa, General Secretary of Faridpur district BNP unit and its Joint Secretary General Julfiker Hossan and President of Sadar Upazila BNP unit Roufunnabi.
Md Najim Uddin, officer-in-charge of Faridpur Sadar Police Station said, police fired 10 shotgun bullets and three teargas shells on the BNP protesters to disperse the BNP supporters.
He said, at least 15 people including two journalists and four policemen got injured.
In Jhalokathi, police foiled a procession carried out by the party men.
Leaders said that police obstructed the procession brought out by the District unit of the BNP. Five BNP men were hurt in the incident.
The party staged a brief rally protesting police attack. District BNP President Mustafa Kamal Montu and General Secretary Monirul Islam Nupur among others were spoke.
Jhalokati Police Station SI Gautam Kumar Ghosh said they asked BNP activists to leave the area to keep the law and order normal. But they denied, so the banner has been taken.
In Tangail, police stopped the protesters in front of the party’s office in Victoria Road on at 10am.
The party men staged a demonstration in front of the party office confined by the police. District unit BNP President Shamsul Alam Tofa and General Secretary Advocate Farhad Iqbal, among others, were gave speech.
At Bogra, at around 12:00 pm, the BNP activists gathered outside the party’s Nawabbari Road office to join the procession.
But police prevented the procession from going on in front of the diabetic hospital.
Later, the party men staged demonstration in front of party office confined by the police.
District unit BNP President Saiful Islam and General Secretary Joynal Abedin Chan, among others were gave speech.
