Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has planned to hold rallies in its 40 more organisational districts from 8 January in the second phase of its demonstrations to force the government to allow its chairperson Khaleda Zia to go abroad for advanced medical treatment, reports news agency UNB.
The party announced the programmes on Wednesday in a press release signed by its senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
The de facto opposition party will hold the rallies in six days -- 8, 12, 15, 17, 22 and 24 January -- to mount pressure on the government to allow Khaleda Zia to go abroad for treatment, said the programme schedule.
The party will formally inaugurate the second-phase programme through a rally in Brahmanbaria on 8 January.
The other districts include Rajshahi, Chandpur, Rangpur, Barishal south, Khulna, Chattogram south, Sylhet, Nilphamari, Feni, Naogaon, Kushtia, Barguna, Sherpur, Bagerhat, Rangamati, Netrokona, Chapainawabganj, Rajbari, Narail, Pirojpur, Chuadanga, Kurigram, Narayanganj, Cumilla, Satkhira, Mymensingh, Natore, Barishal north, Chattogram north, Saidpur, Shariatpur, Mymensingh north, Jhalakathi, Magura, Madaripur, Bandarban, Moulvibazar and Panchagarh.
BNP senior leaders, including standing committee members, vice-chairmen and party chairperson’s advisory council members will address the rallies.
Earlier, in the first phase, the party held rallies in 32 districts from 22 to 30 December last year to press home for the same demand.
BNP observed human chains, mass-hunger strikes, rallies and submission of memorandums to DC offices across the country seeking Khaleda’s treatment abroad.
Khaleda Zia, a 76-year-old former prime minister for three times, has been receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital for various health complications since 13 November 2021.
Her medical board members said Khaleda Zia immediately needs to go abroad for better treatment as she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis.
On behalf of her family, Khaleda Zia’s younger brother, Shamim Iskander, submitted an application to the home ministry on 11 November last year seeking permission to send her abroad for better treatment.
The government has not yet dispose of the application while the ministers are saying that the BNP chief has no scope to go abroad until she files a fresh application returning to jail. Currently Khaleda Zia is out of jail because of executive’s special grant.
20 injured in BNP-police clash in Khulna
At least 20 leaders and activists of BNP were injured in a clash with police on Wednesday as the law enforcement allegedly foiled their bid to form a human chain to register the party’s protest against the “unilateral” national elections of 5 January 2014.
When the BNP leaders and activists gathered in front of the party’s city office at around 11:00am, police charged batons to disperse them, triggering the clash, said Khulna Metropolitan BNP member secretary Shafiqul Alam Tuhin.
At least 20 BNP activists were injured in the clash, claimed Shafiqul Alam.
Police also detained a BNP activist, he added.
However, Hasan Al Mamun, officer-in-charge of Khulna police station, said the BNP men attempted to form the human chain without taking any permission from the authorities concerned.
When police asked them to leave the road the BNP activists threw brickbats towards police, forcing them to charge baton, the OC added.
Clash with police in Chattogram, 44 held
Leaders and activists of BNP locked into a clash with police at Jamalkhan Press Club in Chattogram city as police allegedly obstructed them during their bid to form a human chain on the day.
They gathered there to form a human chain to register the party’s protest against the “unilateral” election of 5 January 2014.
Forty four leaders and activists of BNP were arrested in this connection.
Mohammad Nezam Uddin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station, said BNP took permission saying that 100 people will join the human chain.
However, BNP leaders and activists blocked the road while delivering speeches and their programme disrupted traffic movement.
Police requested them to leave the road but they locked into an argument with the law enforcement and threw brickbats towards them, forcing police to charge baton, he added.
The OC claimed that four policemen sustained injuries in the clash.