Cox`s Bazar Correspondent :
Police on Wednesday allegedly obstructed a convoy of truck led by BNP leaders carrying relief goods for the Rohingya refugees while it was proceeding towards Ukhiya upazila in the southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar.
A total number of 22 trucks full of different types of relief materials were forcibly parked by the police in front of BNP Cox’s Bazar district office till the time of filing of this report at 9:00pm yesterday.
The BNP convoy was headed to the refugees in Cox’s Bazar, a day after the camps were visited by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier on Tuesday evening a team of BNP leaders, including standing committee member Mirza Abbas, reached Cox’s Bazar by plane to coordinate the distribution of relief among 9,000 refugee families.
Other members of the team included standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, Vice Chairman Shamshuzzaman Dudu and Dr AZM Zahid. Besides, pro-BNP Doctors Association of Bangladesh also planned to set up free medical camps and distribute medicines among the distressed.
BNP Organizing Secretary Mahbubur Rahmna Shamim said the trucks were carrying rice, lentil, flatten rice, oil, sugar, drinking water and polythine to make roof cover. Police intercepted the trucks while the convoy started for refugee camps in the noon.
BNP team later arranged a press conference at the district office raising allegation of intercepting their convoy. “The government is creating obstacle to distribute relief. There should not be any politics in relief distribution. It is condemnable and inhuman,” Abbas said.
Local sources said BNP leader Mirza Abbas was sent to his hotel in the evening.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said, “Our central relief team taking 20 trucks of relief for Rohingya refugees has been obstructed by the police while on the way to Ukhia.”
“Not only that, the police are also surrounding our offices in Cox’s Bazar. Our top leaders are confined to the office rooms,” Fakhrul said, added, “This incident has unmasked the government. The government claims it is with Rohingyas but it is now proven to be eyewash,”he said.
“They would not have stopped our relief convoy if it was really with these helpless people.”
