Dhaka – The BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance on Monday called another spell of 72-hour nationwide road-rail-waterway blockade from 6am Tuesday to press for cancellation of the Janury-5 polls schedule and arranging an inclusive national election under a non-party and neutral government.
The 72-hour blockade will end after 6am on Friday if it is not extended further like the previous three spells.
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan announced the fresh programme at a press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office in the evening.
“People don’t want to see this government in power anymore. They want to see a government in power which will be elected by their votes through a free, fair and neutral election,” he said.
“We, on behalf of the 18-party alliance, call upon people to observe a peaceful 72-hour non-stop country wide blockade programme from 6am Tuesday to 6am Friday to realise people’s demand and force the government to hold a free, fair and neutral election with the participation of all under a non-party neutral government cancelling the current farcical polls and polls schedule,” Nazrul continued.
After a four-day phase, the opposition alliance called the fourth spell of the nationwide blockaded while its last spell of 144-hour blocked ended amid widespread violence and loss of lives at 6am on Friday (Dec 13) that had begun on December 7.
The 18-party has already enforced 346 hours of road-rail-waterway blockade across the country in three spells –71-hour, 131-hour and 144-hour ones– after the announcement of the election schedule for the 10th parliamentary elections that left at least 75 people dead.
There had been violent incidents like vandalising and torching of vehicles, clashes between blockade supporters and police and ruling party activists, arrest of opposition leaders and activists and crude bomb blasts allover the country, including the capital, during the blockade programme, injuring over 2,000 people and damaging several hundred vehicles.
The opposition combine enforced the first spell of 48-hour road-rail-waterway blockade 6m on November 26 protesting the announcement of the schedule for the 10th parliamentary polls.
However, the alliance later extended it by 23 hours that ended at 5am on November 29 amid widespread violent incidents, leaving at least 19 people dead, including three students who along with 15 others suffered severe burn injures as miscreants set a passenger-packed bus at Shahbagh in the capital.
On November 25, the Chief Election Commissioner announced that the 10th parliamentary elections will be held on January 5 next. – UNB
