BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday claimed that at least 2,000 opposition leaders and activists were arrested across the country following the violent student movement, reports UNB.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP chairperson's Gulshan office, he demanded immediate release of their arrested leaders and activists.
"So far we have come to know that around 2,000 of our leaders and activists were arrested," said Fakhrul.
He, however, said they don't still have the exact information about the arrestees and casualties as the communication system has been closed by the government.
"We've got isolated and we can't contact with our leaders and workers as the government has kept the communication system shut," said the BNP secretary general.
He also said they are still unable to resume their political activities since their party's Nayapaltan central office was locked by the law enforcers following a raid there. "You saw how our office was raided and everything was taken away."
Fakhrul said their party's senior leaders, including standing committee members Nazrul Islam Khan and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Gono Odhikar Parishad president Nurul Haque Nur, Jamaat leaders Golam Parwar and Abdullah Mohammad Taher are among the arrestees.
About the casualties, he said the government is not giving information about how many people were killed and injured as it wants to mislead the nation.
The government is only trying to highlight the attacks and vandalism during the movement dropping the issue of casualties to shift the blames on BNP.
The BNP leader also said the government wants to completely exclude the issue of the movement and casualties only bring forward the incidents of attacks and vandalism in government buildings as it wants to put the blame on BNP.
He dismissed the government's allegations involving BNP with subversive activities as baseless.
Fakhrul said they were with the movement but it does not mean that they patronised sabotage. They (govt) incited the violence and invited the problem."
He claimed that BNP never carried out attack on state establishment in the 40-year history of the party's political journey.
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