Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will stage demonstrations across the country on Sunday protesting the police action on the BNP preventing them from holding their scheduled rally at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) on Thursday.
BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday announced the programme at a press conference at party’s headquarters at Naya Paltan in the city on Friday.As part of the programme, he said the BNP would bring out processions and hold rallies at thana headquarters in all divisional cities and district headquarters in rest of the districts.
The programme was announced a day after the police obstructed the BNP to hold discussion at the IEB as the party had no permission from Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was scheduled to address the rally as the chief guest. Eminent citizens, senior journalists and foreign diplomats were also invited to address the programme.
Dhaka City BNP unit was to arrange the rally protesting the growing incidents of killing, enforced disappearance and abduction.
Police had locked the main gate of the IEB before the beginning of the rally saying that the DMP did not give permission to the BNP for the programme.
Later in the evening, the BNP held the meeting at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office in a limited scale.
Meanwhile, addressing a discussion meeting at the National Press Club, BNP vice chairman Major (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said the country is witnessing in abundance of killing and enforced disappearance.
“The repression unleashed upon Bengalis by the government has surpassed even the Pakistani occupation forces. The killers either the son or son of law of a minister. The entire country including Naryanganj, Feni and Luxmipur has turned into a valley of death,” he said while addressing the discussion on faire share of water and expectation from new Indian government.
Swadhinata Forum organised the programme with its president Abu Naser Mohammad Rahmatullh in the chair.
Major Hafiz said there is no value of human life to the government rather their prime interest is to serve India.
He said, it was not disclosed by any minister of the Awami League government that Bangladesh needs water as they do not want water.
The BNP leader alleged that India is withdrawing water from the upstream by constructing demands in every common river pushing at least 20 Bangladeshi rivers to die.
He said BNP is neither happy nor upset at the arrival of Narendra Modi in India as there would be no compromise on country’s independence and sovereignty.
“We do hope that the new Indian government will show due respect to our fair demands,” he added.
BNP chairperson’s adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Prof DR Piash Karim, Khairul Kabir Khokan, ABM Mosharraf Hossain, Altaf Hossain Sarker, Advocate Joynal Abedin and Abed Reza, among others, also addressed the function. – Staff Reporter
