DHAKA, Bangladesh: Thousands of supporters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) gathered in the capital Dhaka for a grand rally on Friday as part of its final push to force the government to step down before the next general elections.
Other opposition parties also organized similar protest demonstrations while the ruling Awami League announced a parallel “peace rally,” raising political tension. The main opposition party, the BNP alleged that police conducted raids in the capital Dhaka to frustrate the rally.
“More than 500 of our leaders and activists have been arrested in the past two days despite the party’s repeated calls for peaceful protests,” BNP leader Mirza Abbas told reporters Thursday.
Police said over 350 people were arrested in Dhaka only between Wednesday and Friday.
“Most of these people are wanted for many crimes. We are not arresting innocent people,” Dhaka police spokesperson Faruk Hossain told EFE.
“We conduct these drives to maintain people’s security,” he said, adding Shia Muslims planned to hold a mourning procession on Saturday. “We are working so that no one does subversive activities in the procession or at these political rallies.”
According to local media, police had set up checkpoints at different entry points to Dhaka.
The BNP’s official Facebook page showed live reports of thousands of party activists defying police restrictions to gather Thursday night in front of party headquarters. The Bangladesh opposition organized several big rallies in recent months calling for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s resignation and the formation of a caretaker government before the next general election due later this year or early 2024.
According to local media, at least one person was killed and scores wounded as opposition party protests turned violent Tuesday. The BNP said 18 leaders and activists have died, and over 2,000 have been injured in clashes with police and ruling Awami League supporters since August 2022.
The BNP has been holding protests against the unconditional release of party chief Khaleda Zia, and for setting up an interim government ahead of the elections. Zia, sentenced to 10 years on corruption charges, is banned from engaging in political activities or leaving the country after her conditional release in March 2020. Both the Awami League and the BNP have ruled the country since 1991, except for a brief quasi-military rule in 2007-08.
