The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, said on Friday that the ruling Awami League government was harassing and humiliating BNP leaders and activists by filing ‘false’ and ‘fabricated’ cases.
He said that the government had turned the entire country into a prison by sending BNP leaders and activists to jail in false cases.
Fakhrul came up with the remarks in a statement expressing concern over sending BNP leaders and activists, including several Dinajpur district unit BNP leaders, to jail by rejecting their bail petitions.
He said that the aim of the government’s action was that the opposition parties of the country were not able to criticise the dictatorial behaviour of the power grabbers.
According to Fakhrul, AL took power by force through the ‘dummy’ election on January 7 and increased the level of oppression and torture on the leaders and activists of opposition parties, including BNP, across the country to retain their illegal power.
Expressing concern over the denial of bail by the court and the imprisonment of the BNP leaders, Fakhrul also urged the immediate withdrawal of the cases and the unconditional release of opposition people.
Meanwhile, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said on Friday that the jail has now become the permanent address of BNP leaders and activists.
He made the remarks while addressing an event arranged by BNP-affiliated ‘Zia Projanmo Dal’ in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, demanding the release of BNP leaders and activists.
It is forbidden for BNP leaders and activists to take free air due to detention in prison without reason.
He said that the endless sending of BNP leaders and activists to jail was an indication that prime minister Sheikh Hasina was suffering from panic, as she had no public support.
‘Without public support, governments become fiercely authoritarian, fascist, and repressive when people raise their voices,’ he added.
Rizvi also alleged that 25,000 to 26,000 BNP leaders and activists were sent to jail months before the ‘dummy election,' and thousands of them were still in jail in false cases.
