Hartal Excesses By Govt

BNP holds rallies

Plans to carry black flag inside JS

28 June 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The BNP high command plans to wave black flags inside parliament tomorrow demanding the release of arrested leaders including party lawmaker Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee. If the plan gets the nod from the chairperson, the party lawmakers will execute it during the passage of the budget, party sources said. The plan, however, may not be implemented if Anee is released today. Meanwhile, the party will form human chains in all divisional and district headquarters across the country on July 7 in protest at the repression of the party members. BNP will demand the release of the detainees and withdrawal of the cases against them in the programmes. Party Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday announced this plan while addressing a protest rally as the chief guest at Muktangon in the capital. The main opposition arranged yesterday's rally protesting against the attack and arrest of the party leaders during the Sunday's dawn-to-dusk hartal. BNP leaders alleged that police had obstructed the rally though they had permission to hold it at Muktangon. At the rally they warned a few “over-enthusiastic” officials of law enforcement agencies that they will have to pay for attacking opposition leaders like Mirza Abbas and vandalising their houses. Standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moin Khan and MK Anwar; Senior Joint Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir; Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque; Rizvi Ahmed and Ahmed Azam Khan, among others, spoke at the rally with Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka in the chair. Condemning the attack on the party men by police and “ruling party activists”, Delwar asked the government to release all the BNP leaders and workers arrested during the hartal. “Refrain from repressing people and make the House effective,” he told the government, adding that people observed the hartal spontaneously and they will not accept such autocratic attitude as the government showed on Sunday. Cautioning those who attacked the BNP leader and workers, Khandaker Mosharraf said every one has to keep in mind that the present government will not remain forever.