Photo: Collected-
Metropolis Desk-
During the BNP’s march today in Dhaka and Bogura, where they were calling for the resignation of the current government, there was a fight between activists of the BCL and the BNP. The BCL is the student arm of the Awami League.
Other districts, notably Khagrachari, also reported rare acts of violence. After over a month and a half of no political clashes, this was a tipping point.
The United States announced a new visa policy for Bangladesh on May 24. Under this policy, the US will have the authority to limit the issuance of visas to any Bangladeshi person who is thought to be responsible for or complicit in undermining Bangladesh’s democratic election process.
Following the declaration, political violence subsided for a while.
Political scuffles broke out earlier in February during the BNP’s national union-level protest march. However, after the implementation of the visa limits, such violence has stopped.
Conflicts resurfaced, with incidents being reported during the five city elections.
After the march arrived in the vicinity of the college at around 11:50 a.m. today, members of the BCL’s Government Bangla College section attacked BNP activists, according to a report from our correspondent there. While several BNP members have sought refuge inside the institution, the correspondent continues, they have retaliated with similar forces.
At the time, security personnel weren’t stationed at the location.
By 01:15 PM, BCL members had set their camp on the road behind the planning ministry building from the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University region, according to our correspondent.
However, the police blocked their path with two barriers because of concern that they could attack the BNP march again. By that point, the march had reached Agargaon.
To support its one-point demand on Tuesday (18 July), the BNP has organized marches around the nation in all districts and cities. They will only march in Dhaka tomorrow with the same demand.
The BNP’s Dhaka Metropolitan North unit organized a march from Gabtoli to Ray Saheb Bazar in Old Dhaka, calling for the resignation of the Awami League-led administration in power.
Party members may be seen holding bamboo poles at the location with banners, festoons, a sheaf of rice, and national flags draped on top. The BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam declared to party members before the march that the existing administration must go down. We simply have one goal in mind. Together, 36 political parties have declared their opposition to the current administration.
He declared that the current administration will not hold elections.
He remarked, about Hero Alom’s attack during the Dhaka 17 by-elections, “Hero Alom was beaten in the same way a snake is beaten for contesting against Awami League’s heavyweight candidate Arafat.”
Stop these jokes, he exclaimed, mocking the Election Commission for claiming that the Dhaka-17 by-elections had a fair turnout of 11%. The Awami League failed to turn up voters at the polling places.
The BNP Metropolitan South leaders and activists were anticipated to join the march as it made its way from Gabtoli to Mogbazar via Mirpur-1, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Karwan Bazar, and FDC gate.
The march was scheduled to leave at Mogbazar and travel through Malibagh, Kakrail, Nayapaltan (the party office), Fakirapul, Matijheel, and Dayaganj before arriving at Ray Saheb Bazar. In the afternoon, it will finally arrive in Old Dhaka.
The party has put a lot of effort into making sure that its programs are successful. The party’s central command has directed leaders to expand their participation in the march, and top leaders have received a stern order to take part in the march in their various regions.
To ensure that the marches are handled with vigor both in the districts and in Dhaka, central leaders from Dhaka have been directed to travel to their respective areas.
About the march in Dhaka, the opposition party has already met with police enforcement.
During the BNP’s march program in the neighborhood of Bogura, security personnel, and BNP demonstrators got into another altercation.
Our Bogura correspondent reports that during the altercation at the Yakubia Girls High School crossroads in the city at around noon, the police fired numerous tear gas shells and rubber bullets.
We were stationed at the intersection for protection, said Additional Superintendent of Police Abdur Rashid. The police were suddenly attacked. Six of our members, at least, suffered injuries. Later, a few tear gas canisters and rubber bullets had to be shot to calm things down. at least 30 BNP leaders were hurt in the altercation, according to Noore Alam Siddiqui Regan, the district Chhatra Dal general secretary for the BNP.
The Bogura district branch of the BNP started the march at 10:00 p.m. as part of the party’s nationwide program.
According to the locals, the deployed police force stopped the BNP march after it reached the Yakubia junction intending to head towards the party office via Satmatha. BNP activists, in retaliation, started throwing sticks and bricks, leading to the clash.
Police started charging batons to bring the situation under control. When the situation escalated, they fired tear shells and rubber bullets, bringing the clash to a temporary halt.
Bricks were eventually thrown at the police in the city’s BNP party office area on Nawab Bari Road. Two rounds of tear gas were fired by the police as a response. Around midday on the same day, the Awami League branch in Bogura organized a party rally at the Shaheed Minar in the heart of the city.
Meanwhile, during the opposition’s march in the region of Khagrachari, there have been skirmishes between BNP and Awami League activists.
