Rizvi blames ‘government agents’ for BNP office fire

‘Government agents’ are responsible for setting BNP headquarters on fire during an agitation by Chhatra Dal leaders, the party’s joint secretary general has claimed.

The party’s office at Naya Paltan was torched during a demonstration on Monday afternoon by Chhatra Dal activists, who were denied a place in the new committee of the student body.

Two motorcycles parked outside the building were torched and party founder Ziaur Rahman’s statue on the ground floor was vandalised.

After that a group of men went up to the third floor and set fire to the student wing’s office.

Juba Dal’s office, located on the same floor, was also damaged.

The first and second floors housed the central offices of party chairperson Khaleda Zia and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Rizvi held a press briefing on the second floor.

The electricity lines had been snapped and so he addressed the media amid a power cut.

“We can’t believe that anyone associated with the BNP would smash Ziaur Rahman’s statue or Khaleda Zia’s photo.”

“They were saboteurs. Miscreants supported by the government are behind this.” 

Rizvi also criticised the police for being “mute spectators” while the BNP office was being attacked.

“The Paltan Model Police Station is not far from here. They were throwing stones at the BNP headquarters … setting fire to the office. But the police did nothing.”

“This shows who is behind this … who prompted these criminals to set fire to our office.”