Protest against load-shedding: 26 BNP men injured in AL attack in Pabna
Staff Reporter :
At least 26 people were injured in Pabna on Thursday when the BNP’s rally on protesting load shedding came under attack allegedly by ruling Awami League men.
BNP and its associated organizations organised pre-scheduled sit-ins in front of all district electricity offices across the country in protest against ‘unbearable load-shedding and widespread corruption in the power sector’.
The programme faced obstacles in Pabna, Khulna, Cumilla, Bogura and Dhaka as per the BNP’s allegations.
During a procession in Pabna, at least 26 BNP members were injured in an alleged attack by activists of the Juba League and Chhatra League.
The attack took place when the BNP procession approached Latif Tower in Pabna city, where members of the Juba League, Chhatra League, and Secha Sebok League allegedly initiated the assault.
Among the injured were BNP Chairperson’s adviser and Pabna district BNP convener, Habibur Rahman Habib, as well as senior joint-convener Abdus Samad Khan Montu.
Abdus Samad Khan Montu, said, “The Awami terrorist forces attacked our peaceful programme all of a sudden in the presence of the police.”
However, Rezaur Rahim Lal, president of the district Awami League, denied the allegation and claimed that they were also holding a meeting there.
The AL leader alleged that BNP men had planned to attack their event, leading their own members to defend themselves. He emphasized that there were no instructions to attack any opposition.
Pabna Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle), DM Hasibul Benazir, stated that there was chaos when the BNP leaders and activists passed by during the Chhatra League-Jubo League rally.
He said also that the police were unaware if an attack had taken place.
In Dhaka, The police on Thursday barred a procession of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party in front of Notre Dame College in Arambagh area of the capital.
The Dhaka district unit of BNP brought out the procession from near China Tower in Paltan
rea to observe sit-in programme in front of the power office housed in WAPDA Building at Motijheel.
As the procession reached in front of Notre Dame College at about 12:45pm, police barred the procession by putting barricade there.
The BNP leaders and activists then stopped the procession there and held a short rally there.
The party Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and district BNP President Khandaker Abu Ashfaq among the leaders addressed there.
They chanted slogans against the government, frequent power cuts and corruption in power sector.
After the short rally, a team led by Ruhul Kabir Rizvi went to the power office and submitted a memorandum to Power Development Board deputy director Mamtaz Parvin.
In Khulna, BNP leaders and activists organised a sit-in programme outside the office of the West Zone Power Distribution Company at 11am. Led by Khulna district BNP convener Amir Ejaz Khan and member secretary SM Monirul Hasan Bappi, party men handed over a memorandum to the managing director of the power company.
They called on the government to either put an end to load-shedding immediately or resign from their positions.
In Cumilla, leaders and activists of the district’s South District BNP and affiliated organisations held a sit-in outside the electricity distribution office in protest against the intolerable load shedding and corruption prevalent in the electricity sector nationwide.
Later, the BNP activists submitted a memorandum to the executive engineer of the district electricity office.
Meanwhile, in Bogura, BNP leaders and activists, along with affiliated bodies, blocked a road in protest against load-shedding, demanding uninterrupted power supply.
Starting from the local BNP office at around 11am, a procession was carried out. However, when the procession reached the Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited (Nesco) office along the road beside the Shaheed Khokon Municipal Children’s Park, the police intervened and stopped their progress.
Consequently, the BNP leaders and workers initiated a roadblock at that location.
Representatives from BNP, Juba Dal, and Chhatra Dal then went to the office of the Nesco and handed over a memorandum to its executive engineer, Abdul Monnaf.