Reza Mahmud :
BNP leaders on Tuesday accused the government of starting to file fresh cases against the party men across the country.
“The government wants to make the field empty of opposition forces, especially BNP men to hold the next polls unilaterally,” BNP Joint-Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal told The New Nation.
He said, “More than one lakh BNP leaders and activists have been made accused in 1,200 cases filed across the country in the last few days.”
The party leaders said police in the capital and other districts filed cases in “name of BNP men or as unknown persons” after and before the Sunday’s rally in Dhaka.
Many grass-root leaders fled their homes to avoid arrest.
Many also trying to get anticipatory bails from the Supreme Court, BNP lawyers said. Moazzem Hossain Alal said, around 13,000 BNP men were arrested on various charges during the last few days as the party organized a massive rally on Sunday in the capital.
The BNP leader claimed that the government is in panic over BNP’s next course of action demanding next polls under a neutral government.
The BNP leader said, 89 lakh leaders and activists of the party has been sued in more than one lakh cases in last ten years.
The government filed 185 cases only against me,” said Alal.
When contacted, Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu, the Organising Secretary of BNP told The New Nation, “The government started filing false cases against ‘unknown people’ but arresting our party men in different districts.”
On Monday, a day after the Sunday’s rally, a fresh case was filed under the Special Powers Act against top BNP leaders. At the same time about 150 BNP leaders and activists were remanded in police custody in Dhaka.
Hatirjheel police station filed the case against top BNP leaders, including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Members Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Organising Secretary Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu.
Fifty leaders and activists were named in the case that also accused 20-25 unnamed persons.
Hatirjheel police station Sub-Inspector Shariful Islam filed the case.
BNP Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, on Tuesday said that false cases are being filed against eminent politicians who have immense contribution to politics and professions. “It is only to hold an one-sided polls, by driving out and arresting BNP men from every locality,” Rizvi said in a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office.
Rizvi said, the police arrested innocent BNP men on way to the Sunday’s rally claiming that they created obstacles to the police duties.
“It is totally false, the Televesion footage showed the police actions against our party men on the day,” he said.
The BNP leader said the government became panicked after seeing the huge people in the Sunday’s rally. It is now trying to oppress the oppositions by filing false cases, but they will fail, he added.
BNP Vice-Chairman Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin told The New Nation, “The government plans to drive out opposition people from localities, but they will not be successful, as the people’s decision is different.”
Inspector General of Police Mohammad Javed Patwary, however, said police only arresting those who are accused in different cases. “The arrests of party men have nothing to do with the election or politics,” he said.
