BNP on Thursday demanded immediate withdrawal of Khulna metropolitan police commissioner and Gazipur police superintendent for ensuring fair and impartial voting in the two cities on May 15.
“Police and other members of law enforcement agencies are making wholesale arrest of our party leaders and activists and intimidating them in various ways. The law enforcers are working to drive out the supporters of our candidates from their areas,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. Under the circumstances, he said,
“The Khulna metropolitan police commissioner and Gazipur police superintendent must be withdrawn immediately. Or else, it will be the elections of snatching votes in the two cities.” Rizvi came up with the comments while speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.
The BNP leader also renewed their party’s demand for the deployment of army in the two cities to bring back voters confidence in fair polls.
He hoped that their party’s mayoral candidates will surely win the two city polls as a mass wave has been created there in favour of the ‘Sheaf of Paddy’. Rizvi alleged that the ministers and ruling party MPs are violating the election code of conduct by repeatedly holding meetings with local administrations. “The police administration has created an appalling situation across the two cities at the behest of two influential persons of the government.” He also alleged that the two city corporation areas have turned into a sanctuary of terrorists as the ruling-party armed cadres have taken positions there under the shelter of the administrations. The BNP leader also accused police of obstructing their party leaders from carrying out electioneering in the two cities.
He also said police and detectives launched a mass-arrest drive in Khulna on Wednesday night to obstruct electioneering in favour of the BNP mayoral candidate. “They arrested our 19 leaders and activists in their overnight drive.”
