Daily Bangla Times: A man hits another with a hammer during a clash between BNP and Awami League activists in Natore and police nab a man during a BNP protest event in Khulna on Saturday. — New Age/ Star Mail photo

Dozens of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders and activists were injured in attacks by ruling Awami League people and police across Bangladesh on Saturday during the BNP’s sit-in programme.

The BNP and its associate bodies organised sit-ins throughout the country to press home their 10-point demands, most important of which is to hold the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.

Police arrested about 50 BNP leaders and activists in different districts on Friday night and Saturday ahead of the sit in programme.

In Natore, over 30 people were injured in a clash between BNP and AL activists which erupted during a BNP sit-in in Natore.

New Age staff correspondent in Rajshahi reported that a leader of the BNP youth front sustained bullet injuries and over thirty others were injured as the leaders and activists of the BNP and the ruling Awami League clashed in Alaipur area of Natore on Saturday afternoon.

Among the injured, Kafuria Union Jubo Dal vice-president Shariful Islam Sharif, who received bullet injuries, was undergoing treatment at the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital as his condition was critical.

Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu told New Age that AL goons swooped on their peaceful programmes without any provocation.

AL Natore district unit general secretary Shariful Islam Romjan said that several AL leaders and activists including district Jubo League general secretary Ruhul Amin Biplob and city unit JL president Sayem Hossain Ujjal were injured as BNP men attacked their procession suddenly.

Inspector of the Natore sadar police station Abdul Kalam said that AL and BNP activists attacked each other and police brought the situation under control.

In Rajshahi, the police on Saturday arrested seven BNP leaders and activists, including the party’s  Rajshahi district unit convener Abu Sayed Chad, from a protest procession in Rajshahi city.

Witnesses said that the BNP Rajshahi district unit was scheduled to hold a sit-in in Batar Mor area of the city on Saturday afternoon to press home their 10 points demands, also including the resignation of the Awami League government, and protesting the hike in commodity prices.

Shamim Sarkar, joint-secretary of Rajshahi district Chhatra Dal, told New Age that a group of leaders and activists, led by Abu Sayed Chad, brought out a procession from the Sagarpara Bot Tola crossing and was heading towards the Batar Mor to join the BNP programme.

‘A while after the procession began, police obstructed us, snatched our banner and at one stage started charging batons to disperse us,’ he said.

Later, the BNP leaders and activists held a brief rally in front of the showroom of Easy Fashion Limited and protested against the police attack on their procession.

However, the police again charged batons on the BNP leaders and activists in front of the showroom and detained seven leaders and activists, including Abu Sayed Chad, while former BNP lawmaker Harunur Rashid was speaking as chief guest.

Golam Mostofa Mamun, member of the Rajshahi district BNP unit, told New Age that at least forty leaders and activists of the party, including district unit member secretary Bishwanath Sarkar, were injured in the attack.

At a press conference, Harunur Rashid alleged that the police team attacked them without any provocation and detained the party leaders and activists without any reason.

Harunur said that the law enforcers also tried to beat him and later asked him to leave the city for Chapainawabganj without delay.

He demanded an immediate release of the seven detained leaders and activists, urging the law enforcers not to harass BNP members in false cases.

Contacted, Suhrawardy Hossain, Boalia model police station officer-in-charge, told New Age that they arrested seven BNP men on charge of creating public sufferings and chaos in the city.

He said that the BNP had taken permission from them to hold their political programme at Bhuban Mohon Park.

‘Instead of holding the programme at the designated place, they created obstacles on roads by bringing out processions at various places in the city, including Sagarpara Bot Tola and Batar Mor crossings,’ he said, adding that BNP men attacked the police as they asked them not to create obstacles to the movement of people.

The police official further said that they showed the seven BNP men arrested in a case under processing with the police station.

In a reply to a question about whether the police could arrest any person before filing the case, Suhrawardy Hossain said that they could do it ‘hundred per cent’.

The police official, to another query, denied the allegation of charging batons on BNP men.

In Khulna, law enforcement agencies on Friday night arrested 16 leaders and activists of the BNP and its associate bodies in different areas of the city ahead of the party’s sit-in there on Saturday, local party leaders said.

Khulna city unit convening committee member Masud Khan Badal, Ward-4 BNP joint convener Arman Sheikh, Ward-11 convener Nurul Huq,  Ward-15 Sewchhasebak Dal convener Rubel Khandaker, City College Chattra Dal joint convener Rakib Hossain and Juba Dal leader Nur Islam were among the arrestees, a media release signed by city unit BNP convener Advocate Shafiqul Alam Mona said on Saturday morning.

In Sylhet, the Sylhet district and metropolitan BNP failed to organise the planned sit-in at the designated place because the police had already set up barricades there.

However, the party held its programme at a separate location.

The metropolitan BNP was scheduled to hold its sit-in at Sylhet Central Shaheed Minar in Chowhatta area of ​​the city. However, before noon, the police went to Shaheed Minar and set up a barricade there.

Asked, Sylhet metropolitan police additional deputy commissioner Sudip Das told reporters that the police did not prevent the BNP from carrying out the programme.

In Dhaka at the BNP’s central programme at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that the government wanted to hold early elections as a strategy to stay in power.

He warned that the people would resist all such plots.

Regarding the early elections, Mirza Fakhrul said, ‘The government wants to take a different strategy, according to which it wants to fool the entire nation by holding early elections, they will declare themselves the winner by holding elections again as before. Now the people will not let any of your strategies succeed. People will not step into any of your traps. This time people will resist, you will fail in all your plans.’

Besides, as part of ongoing simultaneous movement, leaders of the 12-Party Alliance held a sit in programme at in front of the Al Razi Complex, whch Jatiya Party faction chairman Mostafa Jamal Haider chaired.

Bangladesh Kalyan Party chairman Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Jatiya Dal chairman Syed Ehsanul Huda, National Democratic Party chairman Abu Taher and others spoke at the sit-in.

A Gono Forum faction and the Bangladesh Peoples Party also held two hour sit in programme at Arambagh.

Gono Forum faction president Mostafa Mohsin Montu, general secretary Subrata Chowdhury and Peoples Party chairman Babul Sarder Chakhari  and others spoke at the programme.