Democracy at stake: BNP

BNP leaders on Tuesday claimed that police has kept them confined inside their Naya Paltan party headquarters by throwing a barricade around it . No activists were being allowed entry, they alleged.

Senior CorrespondentSenior correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 March 2013, 01:08 AM
Updated : 5 March 2013, 03:10 AM

Policemen, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in hundreds, one water-canon, an armoured van and a prison van were stationed outside BNP headquarters since early morning, witnesses said.

Police intervened when BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi attempted to take out a procession from the headquarters, leading to a scuffle, bdnews24.com Senior Correspondent said.

Rizvi stumbled on the footpath, pushed by a policeman, he said.

BNP leaders said Shechwashebak Dal Joint General Secretary Kazi Rahman Manik was nabbed by police from the procession.

Rizvi alleged the government were finishing off their democratic rights. “They (government) are not bothered about democracy.”

“We are not allowed to go out… Police have surrounded us… This is the sample of democracy of this government,” he said.

Rizvi claimed BNP’s shutdown was on through the country despite police efforts to foil it.

BNP leaders including Rizvi took position inside headquarters since Monday night.

Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, Member of Parliament Harun-ar-Rashid and Executive Committee member Retd Maj Hanif arrived in the morning at around 9:30am.

Police dispersed a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal procession in Kakrail’s Bijoy Nagar area by detonating sound grenades around 10:30am.

BNP called for the whole-day shutdown blaming violence casualties during the last few days on ‘police atrocities’.