Khaleda hints tougher anti-govt protests

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Sunday hinted tougher protests to oust the government and warned of dire consequences if there were any attempts to bar the opposition movement.

“We’ll announce fresh programmes on Monday to oust the government. The consequences this time will be severe, if our programmes are barred,” she said at a rally organised to mourn the deaths of six people at Panchbibi in Joypurhat.

Khaleda threatened of such ‘actions’ which according to her would ‘force the government to quit’.

“We’ll announce another ‘Dhaka Cholo’ (Dhaka March) programme. This time, all of you will go to Dhaka and return home only after ousting the government,” she said.

On Mar 12 last year, the BNP held a mass rally in the capital as part of their ‘Dhaka Cholo’ programme.

The BNP chief reached Panchbibi at around 2pm from Bogra. On Mar 3, six residents of the area were killed in a clash with the police.

Khaleda spoke to the families of the deceased and offered financial assistance.

Describing the present government as ‘killer’ she alleged that the police had opened fire on innocent people and killed 170 persons at the order of the government. She claimed her party had lists of all the ‘murders’ committed during the tenure of the present government.

The former Prime Minister said the incumbent government will be ‘tried for the murders’ of the army officials during the bloody 2009 Peelkhana mutiny by a faction of then Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guard Bangladesh).