60 hurt as BNP convoy attacked in Cumilla

At least 60 activists and leaders of BNP's Cumilla Muradnagar upazila unit were injured in an attack allegedly carried out by ruling party activists in Laksam upazila of Cumilla on Friday afternoon.

BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told The Business Standard that a group of local Awami League leaders and activists attacked the motorcade of 60 vehicles carrying the Muradnagar BNP leaders and activists at the northern intersection of Laksam Bypass Road around 1pm.

The BNP men were on their way to join a road march programme in Noakhali.

The injured were undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Cumilla, Rizvi said on Friday evening.

Among the injured are Muradnagar Upazila BNP General Secretary Molla Mozibul Haque, Upazila Swachhsebak Dal Convener Advocate Nashir Uddin, Upazila Krishak Dal Convener Naib Ali, and Muradnagar Sadar Union BNP's former vice president Bashirul Islam Molla.

However, refusing the allegations, Chairman of Laksam Upazila Parishad and President of Upazila Awami League, Advocate Yunus Bhuiya said, "I do not know anything about the march of BNP and the attack on their leaders and workers."

Condemning the incident, Molla Mozibul Haque, general secretary of Muradnagar BNP, said, "The attack was carried out to disrupt our peaceful march. I demand the immediate arrest of the perpetrators and the resignation of this government."

Meanwhile, two cars carrying journalists were also vandalised during the Laksam attack. They were going to Noakhali to cover the road march event with the BNP motorcade. 

Babul Talukder, a photojournalist who was attacked, told TBS, "Activists of Awami League attacked us, leaving many of us, including journalists and car drivers, injured. After the attack, we had to return to Dhaka instead of going to Noakhali."

'Sheikh Hasina's resignation is BNP's one-point demand'

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has urged party activists and leaders across the country to unite and join the movement for ousting the Awami League government from power.

"This government has no more time. I want to tell this government clearly – resign, dissolve parliament, and hold the next election under a non-partisan government," he said while addressing a pre-march rally at Noakhali town on Friday afternoon.

"We have a one-point demand, which is Sheikh Hasina's resignation," he said.

Leaders and activists of six districts of Chattogram Division along with Cumilla North and South metropolis participated in this march. 

The programme was organised by four affiliated organisations of BNP namely Krishak Dal, Shramik Dal, Tanti Dal and Matsajibi Dal with the slogan "March of hardworking people to save the country".

Highlighting the "enforced disappearances and murders" committed by the current government, Fakhrul said, "How long will we tolerate their oppression? We will fight against this government with the people. We will get hold of the headquarters of this illegal government."

At a peace rally in Dhaka on Wednesday, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the next general election will be held under Sheikh Hasina.  

Criticising Quader's remarks, Fakhrul said, "They do not allow our voters to go to the polling station. Now they are saying, this time it will be a fair election. What a joke."

The mother of missing BNP leader Nizamuddin Munna and a woman, who was taken out of her house late at night and raped for voting for BNP in the 2018 election, also addressed the BNP rally.