Keeping up its movement demanding cancellation of the election schedule and arranging the polls under a non-partisan administration, the BNP-led 18-party alliance is going to enforce a fresh spell of nationwide 72-hour road-rail-waterway blockade at 6am on Saturday.
BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the protest programme at a press briefing at the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on Friday night.
Rizvi said the blockade will start at 6am on Saturday and continue until 6am Tuesday.
“We had announced to hold peaceful nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, but the government did not permit us to stage our programme. Instead, they filed a false case against our top leaders, including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir,” he told reporters.
“Under the circumstances, we’re announcing the non-stop 72-hour road-rail-waterway blockade programme from Saturday 6am,” he added.
Rizvi said the programme is also meant for protesting the filing of ‘false’ cases against opposition leaders and activists, denial of permission it to hold a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday afternoon and the continued repression and oppression on opposition leaders and activists.
The BNP joint secretary criticised the Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad for what he said announcing the schedule for a unilateral election. “He (CEC) is working in favour of a particular party. A free, fair and credible election is not possible under this government puppet Commission.”
He also urged the opposition leaders and activists to make the blockade programme a success with their spontaneous participation.
Earlier, on November 25, the Chief Election Commissioner announced that the 10th parliamentary elections will be held on January 5 next.
Hours after the announcement of the CEC, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced a 48-hour blockade programme from the following day protesting schedule for the next general election.
However, the alliance later extended it by 23 hours that ended at 5am on Friday amid widespread violent incidents, leaving 17 people dead, including two youths in the capital.
There had been violent incidents like vandalising and torching of vehicles, clashes between blockade supporters and police and ruling party activists, arrest of opposition leaders and activists and crude bomb blasts allover the country, including the capital.
Besides, over 400 vehicles were either torched or vandalised, and some 600 crude bombs blasted during the period. The country’s rail communications also got disrupted on various routes and several trains derailed at different places following the removal of fishplates from rail tracks.
Source: UNBConnect
