Terming imaginary, false and fabricated the charges pressed against party senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman in connection with Gazipur arson attack, BNP on Wednesday said the government wants to take its political revenge on him.
“It’s a matter of regret that a chargesheet has been submitted against our party senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman making him an order giver accused in a cooked-up terrorist incident. But, the country’s people know it very well that he has long been staying abroad for better medical treatment with a court permission,” said BNP spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon.
He further said, “We think the charges were brought against him only to fulfil the government’s vengeance. There isn’t a scintilla of truth in the fictitious charges.”
Speaking at a press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, Ripon urged the government to immediately revoke the chargesheet against Tarique.
Earlier on Tuesday, Gazipur police pressed charges against 32 BNP-Jamaat men, including BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, in a case filed in connection with an arson attack carried out in the district on January 21 this year during the hartal and blockade programme enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.
Before the submission of the chargesheets, Gazipur police super Harunur Rashid held a press briefing at his office.
He said Tarique’s name has been included in the chargesheet for ordering BNP men to set a bus afire by hurling petrol bombs at Manipur of Joydevpur and create anarchy across the country.
Coming up with his party’s reaction to it, Ripon said Tarique’s name was not there in the FIR of the cases filed in connection with the incident. “Despite that Gazipur police super at the press conference alleged that Tarique sitting abroad plotted to unseat the government. Such accusation is nothing but the travesty of truth. It also outshined the fantasy stories of the film industry.”
He said pressing charges against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and senior vice chairman Tarique in ‘false cases’ is tantamount to axing the political etiquette. “We denounce the government’s move. We call upon the government to shun its vengeful tactic and vindictive attitude.”
The BNP leader said the country’s people know it very well that the government’s agents and the ruling party men carried out subversive activities at different places of the country during the opposition’s democratic movement only to shift the blame on the BNP and its alliance.
“It’s unfortunate that the government cashing in on the incidents carried out by their men is heinously filing cases against Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman making them as instigators of the incident,” he observed.
Ripon said the government is implicating BNP leaders in ‘false’ cases and submitting chargesheets against them as part of its strategy to keep BNP leadership under immense pressure.
Referring to the High Court’s ban on publishing and airing Tarique Rahman’s any statement and speech in the media, the BNP leader said Tarique Rahman has no scope to protest the government’s plot to malign him by bringing the false and misleading allegation against him as his constitution rights of expression has bee snatched.
“Under the circumstances, we fear the trial process in the case will be lopsided one and he (Tarique) may not get justice,” Ripon said.
He came down heavily on Gazipur police super of Gazipur Harunur Rashid saying holding a press conference on the chargesheet of an accused is unprecedented. “Chargesheets are being submitted against many people. Charges were framed even against our chairperson earlier, but we didn’t see the DMP authorities or any higher police official holding any such a press conference to brief the media about that.”
“We think there’re some opportunist officials in the administration and the law-enforcement agencies who try to make their personal gain by attacking and defaming the government’s political opponent. We urge the government to remain alert about that type of officials,” Ripon added.
Source: UNB