BNP’s Nationwide March Marred by Conflicts

The Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the Awami League's student branch, and the BNP have started fighting as the latter is marching in Dhaka today calling for the resignation of the current government.

After the march arrived in the vicinity of the campus at around 11:50 a.m., members of the BCL's Government Bangla campus section attacked BNP activists, according to our correspondent there.

According to the correspondent, BNP members have responded with comparable force while many have sought refuge inside the campus. 

Security personnel weren't on duty there at the time.

By 01:15 PM, BCL members had set their camp on the road behind the planning ministry building from the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University region, according to our correspondent.

However, the police have blocked their path with two barriers because of concern that they could attack the BNP march again. By that point, the march had reached Agargaon.

To support its one-point demand on Tuesday (18 July), the BNP has organized marches around the nation in all districts and cities. They will only march in Dhaka tomorrow with the same demand.

The BNP's Dhaka Metropolitan North unit organized a march from Gabtoli to Ray Saheb Bazar in Old Dhaka, calling for the resignation of the Awami League-led administration in power.

Party members may be seen holding bamboo poles at the location with banners, festoons, a sheaf of rice, and national flags draped on top.

The BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam declared to party members before the march that the existing administration must go down. We simply have one goal in mind. Together, 36 political parties have declared their opposition to the current administration.

He declared that the current administration will not hold elections.

He remarked, in reference to Hero Alom's attack during the Dhaka 17 by-elections, "Hero Alom was beaten in the same way a snake is beaten for contesting against Awami League's heavyweight candidate Arafat."

Stop these jokes, he exclaimed, mocking the Election Commission for claiming that the Dhaka-17 by-elections had a fair turnout of 11%. The Awami League failed to turn up voters at the polling places.

The BNP Metropolitan South leaders and activists were anticipated to join the march as it made its way from Gabtoli to Mogbazar via Mirpur-1, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Karwan Bazar, and FDC gate.

The march was scheduled to leave at Mogbazar and travel through Malibagh, Kakrail, Nayapaltan (the party office), Fakirapul, Matijheel, and Dayaganj before arriving at Ray Saheb Bazar. In the afternoon, it will finally arrive in Old Dhaka.

The party has put a lot of effort into making sure that its programs are successful. Central command of the party has instructed leaders to increase their presence in the march and top leaders have been given a strong message to participate in the march in their respective areas.

Central leaders from Dhaka have been instructed to go to their respective areas so the marches are conducted with vigour in the districts as well as in Dhaka.

The opposition party has already held a meeting with the law enforcement agencies regarding the march in Dhaka.

Clash with police in Bogura

During the BNP's march program in the neighborhood of Bogura, security personnel and BNP demonstrators got into another altercation.

Our Bogura correspondent reports that during the altercation at the Yakubia Girls High School crossroads in the city at around 12:00 p.m., the police fired numerous tear gas shells and rubber bullets.

We were stationed at the intersection for protection, said Additional Superintendent of Police Abdur Rashid. The police were suddenly attacked. Six of our members, at least, suffered injuries. Later, a few tear gas canisters and rubber bullets had to be shot to calm things down.

At least 30 BNP leaders were hurt in the altercation, according to Noore Alam Siddiqui Regan, the district Chhatra Dal general secretary for the BNP.

As part of BNP's countrywide programme, the party's Bogura district unit began the march at 10:00pm.

According to the locals, the deployed police force stopped the BNP march after it reached the Yakubia junction intending to head towards the party office via Satmatha. BNP activists, in retaliation, started throwing sticks and bricks, leading to the clash.

Police started charging batons to bring the situation under control. When the situation escalated, they fired tear shells and rubber bullets, bringing the clash to a temporary halt.

After a while, bricks were thrown at the police in the BNP party office area on Nawab Bari road in the city. Police responded by firing two rounds of tear shells.

The Bogura unit of the Awami League organised a party rally at the city's central Shaheed Minar around 12 noon on the same day.

Meanwhile, clashes have also ensued between BNP and Awami League activists in Khagrachari during the opposition's march in the district. 

Clashes with AL activists in Khagrachhari

Awami League and BNP activists clashed in Khagrachhari early today, resulting in more than fifty injuries.

Around 10:30 am, while local BNP leaders and activists were bringing out their procession as part of the party's central program, fighting broke out in the Shapla Chattar region.

Around the same time, the local AL unit had also organized a procession.

Locals in Shapla Chattar and the surrounding areas claimed that the two groups engaged in confrontations and chased one another for more than an hour.

Some 25-30 AL activists including district Awami League Deputy Secretary Nurul Azam, Md Almas, Kyajri Marma and some 20-25 BNP activists including district BNP’s coordinator secretary Md Hossain Babu were injured.

Police brought the situation under control by using tear shells. Additional police have been deployed in the area.

Local AL and BNP leaders have blamed each other for initiating the clash.

Khagrachhari AL General Secretary Nirmalendu Chowdhury said, “The BNP cadres attacked us with sticks when we were on the way to take part in the ‘development procession’. They vandalised numerous commercial buildings, including the municipality building of Khagrachhari.”

Khagrachhari BNP General Secretary MN Absar said, “More than 50 leaders and activists were hurt as Awami League activists attacked us when we attempted to march in accordance with the central program.”

Some of the injured were taken to the Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital.