Around 4,000 BNP-men detained since polls schedule announced: Rizvi

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said over 3,875 leaders and activists of the party have been "illegally" detained since the announcement of the schedule for the 12th national polls.

He said at least three party activists were "killed," and over 500 were injured during this period, citing attacks by law enforcement forces and activists of the ruling Awami League in a virtual press conference yesterday.

Moreover, Rizvi added that in the last 24 hours, 290 activists were detained nationwide, with one fatality in the attacks.

Since the announcement of the schedule on 15 November, he said 25 cases have been filed against BNP leaders and activists, involving more than 14,690 individuals.

Rizvi highlighted that since 28 July, amid the simultaneous movement to overthrow the government, 18,871 leaders and activists of the party have been detained, resulting in 68,803 people accused in cases and 16 fatalities, including a journalist.

Rizvi further claimed that a BNP activist was beaten to death in Bogura on 22 November. He said, "Abdul Matin, a member of the Vishalpur union BNP in Sherpur, was falsely accused and, fearing police action, sought refuge at a relative's house. However, he was caught by terrorists affiliated with the ruling party in Mandail village, subjected to a brutal assault, and his lifeless body was discarded in a nearby paddy field."

Since the clash between the police and BNP leaders and activists during the grand rally in Dhaka on 28 October, the BNP has initiated a series of hartals and blockades, joined by their long-time ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami, and like-minded parties who are also participating independently in the same programmes.

A significant number of senior BNP leaders are currently in jail, having been arrested in dozens of cases filed in the aftermath of the 28 October conflict, with many others choosing to remain in hiding.

BNP leaders have raised concerns, asserting that the ruling party is specifically targeting active and courageous leaders, as well as potential candidates within the BNP, resulting in numerous arrests.

According to BNP sources, 449 leaders and activists of the party have been sentenced in 27 separate cases during October-November, with an additional 179 individuals receiving verdicts in five cases last Thursday. Over the past six months, a total of 582 party members have been sentenced to imprisonment for varying terms in 33 cases.

BNP leaders say that as per the constitution, an individual is deemed "ineligible" to run as a candidate in parliamentary elections if sentenced to at least two years in any case and not released at least five years before the election.

The party's legal representatives argue that the government aims to expedite the resolution of cases by specifically targeting "qualified" candidates from the party, rendering them "disqualified", thereby disrupting the ongoing movement ahead of the elections.