The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its like-minded some other parties on Saturday called a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal on Sunday, October 29.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the hartal programme in the afternoon on Saturday by suspending the party’s rally at Nayapaltan in the capital. Later, few other political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islam also supported the hartal programme.
Earlier, the BNP and the Jamaat started their separate rallies around 1:00pm at Nayapaltan and Arambagh area respectively. But, when the BNP activists went on rampage and locked into clashes, BNP leaders suspended their rally, which was organised in front of the BNP office at Nayapaltan.
The BNP organised the rally to force the government to resign, hold elections under a non-partisan, neutral government, and also the release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Mentionable that centring the rally of BNP, the unruly activists of the party locked into clashes with law-enforcers, torched about 10 vehicles and ransacked many others. In their series of attacks, a police constable was killed and over a hundred of people, including over 40 police personnel sustained injuries.
They also went on rampage and attacked the Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital, the residence of the Chief Justice and many other business establishments.
The BNP is trying to forge a movement with a view to ousting the present Awami League government. The party is also demanding a caretaker government, which is undemocratic, unconstitutional and also was rejected by the Supreme Court.
On the other hand, since there is a constitutional obligation of holding the next election by January, 2024, the Election Commission is preparing for holding the next general election in the first week of January.
