BNP announces nationwide rallies on Monday after AL declares demos for Sunday

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will hold rallies across the country on Monday, the party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced, ensuring its programmes don't coincide with AL's countrywide demonstrations set for Sunday.

"We would have held the programme tomorrow. But the ruling party has announced their programmes for tomorrow. So, we don't want to create public suffering by calling the programme on the same day," Fakhrul said in a press conference in Dhaka.

The party announced the programme to protest against the alleged attacks on BNP leaders and activists during its sit-in programmes in the capital on Saturday.

Earlier, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader announced AL's nationwide demonstrations in response to the "anarchy and arson violence carried out by BNP and Jamaat."

The decision was made at an urgent meeting of top leaders of affiliated organisations, along with senior leaders of the party, at the central office at the Bangabandhu Avenue.

Speaking at today's conference, BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul said, "We condemn and protest the violence that the government has carried out in Dhaka using  law enforcers and ruling party men to thwart our peaceful programmes.

"People at home and abroad are in shock witnessing the unprovoked firing, tear gas, and armed attacks on peaceful protestors, as this tyrannical government attempts to cling to power by force."

He said Gayeshwar Chandra Roy suffered severe bleeding due to head injuries. 

"The attacks on numerous leaders and activists, including the adviser to the party chairperson and former minister Aman Ullah Aman, and the indiscriminate arrest of countless leaders and activists proved that no citizen of the country is safe in the hands of this power-hungry government," said Mirza Fakhrul.

In response to a question from reporters regarding Gayeshwar Chandra Roy having lunch at the DB office after being detained, Fakhrul said police are doing such acts to avoid sanctions or visa bans from other countries.

From a grand rally in the capital's Nayapaltan yesterday, the BNP had announced sit-ins at major entry points to Dhaka on Saturday as part of its all-out movement to oust the Awami League government and to hold the upcoming national election under a non-partisan government.  

The opposition party also called upon its leaders and activists not to leave the streets until the government steps down.

The AL, on the other hand, vowed to counter the opposition movement at any cost.

The five-hour sit-in programmes of the opposition BNP at the entry points of Dhaka today ended in violent clashes with police, alongside incidents of vandalism and arson.

A total of 90 BNP leaders and activists have been arrested so far and scores injured.

Earlier on Friday, three affiliated bodies of the ruling AL also held a rally at the south gate of the Baitul Mukarram.

Following the BNP's announcement of the sit-in programme, the AL also announced holding programmes at the city's entry points.