BNP, allies call fresh 48-hour blockade

13 arson attacks in 27 hours as 2nd blockade passes off

FE REPORT | Published: November 09, 2023 23:25:48

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced a fourth nationwide blockade for 48 hours from Sunday morning to Tuesday morning.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the blockade programme in a virtual press conference on Thursday evening.
Rizvi said the blockade will be observed to press home the party's demands for the restoration of democracy, trial for the killings of BNP members, proper treatment for the injured and the release and stopping harassment of thousands of leaders and activists.
He said that a doa mahfil would also be held at all mosques on Friday to seek salvation for the souls of those killed during the ongoing anti-government campaign.
Rizvi said that vehicles used by media personnel, ambulances and other emergency services would be out of the purview of the blockade.
He said a total of 365 BNP leaders and activists had been arrested in the past 24 hours until Thursday evening. Some 13 cases were filed against 1,563 party members in recent days.
The BNP leader said that more than 100 BNP leaders and activists had been injured in attacks by ruling Awami League activists.
Thirteen arson attacks were reported across the country from 6 am on Wednesday till 9 am on Thursday during the ongoing 48-hour blockade.
Of these, five arson attacks were reported in Dhaka City Corporation areas, three in Gazipur, one in Khagrachhari, one in Bogura, two in Barishal and Barguna, and one in Noakhali, said Talha Bin Jasim, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense's media cell.
A total of seven buses, four covered vans, and two trucks were burned during this period.
On Thursday, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leaders and activists marched in Dhaka's Purana Paltan area in support of the opposition-sponsored blockade. The procession began at Purana Paltan and ended near Nightingale intersection.
LDP leaders said they would not allow upcoming national elections under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They hoped the current government would step down and the upcoming polls would be held under a neutral caretaker government.
Despite the BNP blockade, a significant number of public buses and other modes of transport were running on Dhaka's roads on Thursday. However, most long-haul buses from Mohakhali, Gabtoli and Sayedabad bus terminals were not operating.
Law enforcers and ruling party members took positions at key points in the city to prevent arsonists from attacking public transport.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com