AL's instigation behind attacks on BNP rallies: Rizvi

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Wednesday alleged that BNP leaders and activists are being attacked and implicated in cases afresh due to the instigation by the ruling party.

Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, he claimed that their party’s 650 leaders and activists were arrested just in the last six days while several hundred others were injured in different attacks on the party’s programmes in different parts of the country.

“Addressing a rally in front of the central office of the Awami League yesterday (on Tuesday), its general secretary Obaidul Quader threatened to eliminate BNP forever in cold blood…following his threat, the police, RAB and SWAT forces have launched a drive against BNP men and started attacking, and arresting them in new cases,” he said.

The BNP leader also alleged that the police and Awami League's ‘special cadres’ attacked the opposition’s peaceful road march in the Science Lab area in the capital without any provocation on Tuesday.

“Obaidul Quader's threat is being implemented by the law enforcers who nurture the Awami spirit," he observed.

Rizvi also raised a question as to why a case was not filed against the Awami League general secretary for making such an offensive remark. "Eliminating BNP in cold blood means a provocation for indulging in the killing. Why’re the law enforcers silent?" Why is there no case against him?"

He alleged police and the ruling party ‘cadres’ attacked their party’s scheduled programmes in different areas of the country over the last six days, but around 148 cases were filed against over 5,000 BNP leaders and activists in connection with the incidents.

The BNP leader also said the government has started the old drama of putting the blame on the BNP again by torching buses as the regime did it in the past.

Rizvi called upon the police force not to take a stance against the country’s people.

He said that police arrested more than 30 leaders and activists of BNP, including Sheikh Rabiul Islam Robi, Shahadat Hossain Saikat and Raisul Islam Chandan, from the Science Lab area after the party’s Dhaka south city’s road march programme on Tuesday.

The BNP leader also said the government is creating anarchy and violence in the country by putting police against people as part of a deep conspiracy to stay in power again by holding another stage-managed election.

He warned that the country’s people would not sit idle if the government continues attacking and obstructing the peaceful programs of the opposition parties by the ruling party cadres and police

Showing photos on his mobile, Rizvi alleged that police themselves burnt the placards containing the pictures of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, its chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and acting chairman Tarique Rahman during their attacks on BNP leaders and activists in the Science Lab area on Tuesday.

"Through this, it has been proved that these police are not the people's police, they have become a force of the Awami League. I strongly condemn this incident,” he said.