BNP has planned to hold a rally in the city’s Demra area on May 17 in protest against the growing incidents of abduction, forced disappearance, and the killing of seven people after their abduction in Narayanganj.BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will address the rally.The party will also stage demonstrations in all districts and upazilas across the country on May 18 while in all divisional cities on May 19.The decisions were taken at a meeting of the party standing committee, the highest policymaking body of BNP, on Saturday night.The nearly one-and-a-half hour meeting began around 9:10pm with Khaleda Zia in the chair at her Gulshan office.Talking to UNB, a standing committee member said they widely discussed the country’s sliding law and order, especially the Narayanganj seven murders, relocation of Khaleda Zia’s graft case trial to Alia Madrasah makeshift court and India’s election.He said, the standing committee also finalised Khaleda’s Narayanganj visit on Wednesday to console the family members of the seven victims.”Most of the standing committee members suggested the party chief to enforce a nationwide hartal in protest against the killings and forced disappearances of BNP men and Narayanganj seven murders. But our chairperson rejected it fearing that the government might unleash fresh repressive acts against her party leaders and activists,” said another standing committee member wishing anonymity. Khaleda was also of the opinion not to pursue any tougher action before Ramzan. The BNP policymakers condemned the relocation of trial of the party chairperson’s graft cases to Alia Madrasah makeshift court and alleged that the government has taken the move with an ill motive.They suggested filing of a writ in a day or two to the High Court challenging the transfer of the trial of the graft cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission.A Law Ministry release has recently said the trial of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Charitable and Orphanage Trust graft cases pending with the Special Judge Court-3 has been shifted to makeshift court on the premises of Bakshibazar Alia Madrasah from Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judges Court building.BNP standing committee members RA Gani, Moudud Ahmed, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Tariqul Islam, Rafiqul Islam Miah, Jamiruddin Sircar, Hannan Shah, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy and Abdul Moyeen Khan attended the meeting.
