302 activists of 19-party killed, disappeared in 1 month: Khaleda

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Tuesday alleged that around 302 leaders and activists of her party-led 19-party alliance have either been killed or made victims to forced disappearance in the last one month. Addressing a crowded press conference at a city hotel, the former premier presented the list of the victims collected by her party’s central office. Of the 302 victims, Khaleda said, 242 were killed by the law  enforcers and ruling party cadres while 60 were made victims to forced disappearance. She claimed the incidents of the killing and forced disappearance took place between December 16 and January 27. The BNP chief observed that though the list prepared by her party office on the basis of information they got, the actual scenario is more alarming and dreadful. She harshly criticised the government for what she said the worsening human rights situation, extrajudicial killing, oppression and repression by law enforcers and ruling party ‘cadres’. The BNP chairperson demanded of the government to immediately stop extrajudicial killing and oppression and repression on opposition leaders and activists and harassing filing ‘false’ cases, according to a news agency.