Khaleda campaign caravan attacked

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) called a daylong hartal across the country except Dhaka and Chittagong election areas for tomorrow (Wednesday) to protest Monday's attack on BNP chief Khaleda Zia's motorcade in the capital.

The BNP led 20-party Alliance will also stage demonstrations all over the country today (Tuesday) to drum up the dawn-to-dusk general strike.

Dhaka and Chittagong cities will remain out of the purview of the hartal and demonstrations, the strike callers said.  

BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed made the announcement at the party's Nayapaltan headquarters a couple of hours after the party chairperson's poll-campaign caravan came under the attack in Karwanbazar area while she was seeking vote for her party-backed candidate Tabith Awal in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).

Calling it a 'preplanned' attack by the ruling party, he said the alliance would think for alternative option unless the government stopped creating such obstacles in the run-up to the crucial city elections.

"It (such attack) will certainly harm the election atmosphere, which is unexpected and also unwanted," he told reporters.

Some persons launched the attack by hurling brickbats targeting her motorcade that triggered panic among the passers-by in the afternoon

Khaleda Zia, also a former prime minister, was unhurt in the attack near Patrobangla office in the area as her personal security guards drove her away for safety, witnesses said.

But several vehicles in the motorcade were damaged during the sudden attack by a group of young men that left at least three people injured.

The witnesses said trouble erupted at about 5:30pm when the BNP chairperson along with her party leaders was seeking vote for Tabith Awal in the upcoming city-corporation polls, slated for April 28.

Identities of the injured could not be learnt immediately.

The incident took place hours after policemen deployed for the security of the BNP chief's residence at Gulshan in the capital were lifted in the morning, according to some BNP senior leaders.

Following the incident, Election Commission (EC) secretary Sirajul Islam in an instant reaction said the party concerned must come up with formal or written allegation to the Commission..

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