BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam slams govt after attacks on his motorcade

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has described the attack on his motorcade in Chittagong as “an attack on democracy.”

Chittagong Bureaubdnews24.com
Published : 18 June 2017, 10:39 AM
Updated : 18 June 2017, 10:39 AM

The senior leader’s motorcade came under attack on Sunday morning while he was on his way to Rangamati to meet local people affected by landslides.

The seven-member delegation left Chittagong city for Rangamati's Kaptai. They were scheduled to board a vessel from there for Rangamati town.

"As soon as we reached Rangunia's Ichhakhali, men armed with iron rods and sharp weapons attacked our motorcade. They have completely damaged our cars," said BNP leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, who was accompanying Fakhrul.

Later in the day, the leaders held a press conference where Fakhrul said the attack targeted those who are vocal against the ‘misdeeds’ of the government. “It was an attack on democracy.”

“The Awami League has exposed its true nature. They speak of democracy but do not believe in it,” Fakhrul told reporters at the Chittagong Press Club.

“We were not there to hold a public rally. All we wanted was to show empathy with those affected by the landslides,” he said.

Amir Khosru, a member of BNP's National Standing Committee, has put the blame on Awami League leader Hasan Mahmud and his backers.

Hasan Mahmud, a local MP and the ruling party's publication secretary, alleged that the car carrying the BNP secretary general hit two persons in Ichhakhali.

"The agitated locals attacked them," he told bdnews24.com.

The attack prompted the BNP to announce nationwide protests for Monday.