Nayapaltan clash was staged, claims Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has claimed the clash in front of the party's central office was staged in a pre-planned way.
"This incident was staged completely in a pre-planned way. Police detained more than 200 leaders and activists from party office," he said.
Fakhrul said this to the reporters in front of BNP's Nayapaltan central office in capital Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon.
Later, he claimed two men of BNP were killed in the clash, and police held at least 300 leaders and activists of the party apart from its top leaders from Nayapaltan.
Claiming police entered the BNP office with bags, he said they will show these as explosives and arrest the leaders-activists. "Nothing could be worse than that."
The BNP secretary general said they repeatedly gave commitment to Dhaka Metropolitan Police that they will hold a peaceful rally at Nayapaltan and were hoping DMP will give permission.
"With that hope, we took position here peacefully but the government betrayed us. They attacked our leaders and activists with arms," he added.
"I talked to all to enter party office. Commissioner, home minister.... but to no avail to talk. In fact, no government exists here," he also said.
However, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokan, and its Dhaka city north unit convener Aman Ullah Aman, are among the detainees.
Earlier this afternoon, police and BNP men clashed in front of BNP's central office that left one dead and several injured.
The deceased was identified as Makbul Hossain, 40, but it could not be confirmed whether he was a BNP activist.
Witnesses said BNP leaders and activists started gathering in front of the party office this morning and a huge crowd was seen this afternoon.
The clash ensued when police lobbed tear shells and rubber bullets to remove BNP men from there.
Joint Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mehedi Hasan had alleged BNP men aggressively attacked police at Nayapaltan and tried to create a 'ring of terror' in the entire area.
DMP has taken action to keep the law and order situation normal, he added.
KH/SU
