BNP announces 48hr hartal for Saturday, Election Day

The BNP has announced a 48-hour hartal from Saturday morning in protest of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad polls.

The opposition party and its allies will observe the hartal programme from Saturday 6am to Monday 6am, BNP Senior Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced in a virtual press briefing yesterday.

The 12th JS polls are scheduled for Sunday. The BNP has boycotted the elections.

Earlier in the day, the opposition party also announced countrywide processions and mass contact campaigns for Friday.

Rizvi on the day called for boycotting the upcoming national elections for public interest.

"Boycott the election for public interest, for civil liberties and in the interest of basic freedom of the people," he said after distributing leaflets, calling on people to boycott the elections and join BNP's non-cooperation movement in front of Uttara Rajuk Model College.

"Don't push the country towards danger by forcing dummy and one-sided elections," he urged the government.

The BNP leader also said, "Power cannot be retained by cheating the people in this way."

Clash in Natore

At least seven people, including two policemen, were injured in a clash between police and AL supporters with BNP activists during the opposition party's leaflets distribution programme in Singra upazila of Natore yesterday.

District BNP joint convener Daudar Mahmud and three people have been arrested in the incident, said Tariqul Islam, superintendent of Natore police.

Witnesses said that around 11:30am, BNP started distributing leaflets in the Singra bus stand area under the leadership of Daudar Mahmud. At that time, when the police stopped them, bricks and stones were hurled at the police and vehicles were vandalised.

AL supporters chased BNP activists and Daudar Mahmud's petrol pump was vandalised, they said.

Police-BNP clash in Dhamrai

Meanwhile, at least five people, including three policemen, were injured as a clash erupted between police and BNP activists in Dhaka's Dhamrai upazila yesterday.

The confrontation unfolded around 7:30am at Kalampur Bazar of the upazila when police intervened as BNP activists attempted to conduct a rally backing the election boycott and non-cooperation movement.

Following the incident, police arrested three people on the spot. 

Dhamrai police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sirajul Islam confirmed the incident, stating, "Three policemen, including an assistant sub-inspector [ASI], were injured during the clash. BNP activists initiated an attack by pelting bricks at the police while they were on regular duty in the Kalampur area this morning."

According to locals, police stopped the procession brought out by BNP leaders and activists and arrested three people from there. Enraged by the detention, other BNP men present at the scene retaliated by throwing bricks at the police and vandalising a police vehicle.

'No confidence in elections'

Meanwhile, BNP Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan yesterday said the people of the country as well as the foreign media have "no confidence" in the upcoming elections.

World's most famous media are now in Bangladesh to report on the "so-called" election, he said while speaking at a rally in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka. 

He said the "dummy election" will result in the government's "extreme defeat."

"I am clearly saying that the government is thinking of victory on 7 January. But the reality is that the AL will suffer a crushing defeat."

Moin Khan urged the government to reconsider and called for the cancellation of the election by dissolving the parliament.