Staff Reporter :
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi asserted that India has assumed the role of protector for all the delinquencies of the ruling Awami League government, morphing into a staunch ally of the oppressive regime.
Rizvi said this in a press briefing held at the BNP Nayapaltan Central office on Tuesday.
Rizvi highlighted that this alignment has led to a troubling silence from the Awami League, even in the face of the daily atrocities committed by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the Bangladesh-India border.
Rizvi articulated, “The BSF’s bloodthirsty actions, devoid of any semblance of humanity at the border, have not only caused distress within the nation but have also drawn concern from the international community.”
“The responsibility for the killing of Bangladeshi citizens by the BSF falls squarely on the shoulders of the Awami League government. Their reactionary policies only serve to embolden the BSF, resulting in the loss of Bangladeshi lives.”
“The bloodstains on the border are a poignant reminder of the ongoing tragedy,” Rizvi continued, underscoring the recent killing of a Bangladeshi youth named Hasan Mia in Brahmanbaria’s Kasba Upazila by the BSF.
Rizvi passionately lamented that the Bangladesh-India border remains saturated with the blood of Bangladeshi citizens, underscoring the gravity of the ongoing violence.
Expressing heartfelt condolences for the death of Hasan Mia, he condemned what he described as the submissive nature of the fascist government, which fails to raise its voice against the deaths of Bangladeshi people while actively employing its Chatra League and Jubo League cadres to suppress dissent within the country.
“While the global community stands appalled by the atrocities committed against opposition leaders and activists by the Awami League, the illegitimate government remains indifferent,” Rizvi remarked, highlighting the apathy towards human rights abuses.
Rizvi further asserted that it is evident to all that BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has been unjustly imprisoned on fabricated charges, a move aimed at silencing her political influence.
Referencing a report published by the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour, titled “2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bangladesh on Tuesday,” Rizvi reiterated deep concerns over the alarming increase in disappearances, killings, assassinations, torture in jails, and other extreme human rights violations in Bangladesh.
He emphasised the report’s findings that indicate a systematic suppression of the people’s rights, including the right to change the government through free and fair elections, as well as the right to peaceful assembly.
