A BNP leader has filed a case with Gulshan Police Station over a widespread incident of parking five sand-laden trucks outside BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia residence to obstruct her from participating in a road march scheduled for December 29, 2013m, reports Daily Sun.
Shariful Islam, a central executive committee member of Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal, filed a lawsuit with the police station on Friday against 113 named and 250 to 300 unnamed people.
In his statement, Shariful alleged that the trucks were parked as part of a plan by the then-government to assassinate Khaleda Zia.
Among the accused are ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandker, former IGP and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque, former DMP Commissioner and Additional IGP Asaduzzaman Mia, former Special Branch Chief Manirul Islam, and several other top officials from the administration and Awami League leaders.
The army-backed caretaker government held national elections in 2008, and Awami League came to power in the election.
Later, Awami League attempted to hold an uniliteral election on 5 January 2014 but BNP waged nationwide movement demanding the election to be held under a nonparty caretaker government.
BNP waged a peaceful movement across the country when Awami League was heading towards the election stamping down all demand of BNP and some of its like-minded political parties.
In a bid to hold the lopsided election, the then Awami League administration confined BNP Chairperson Khaled Zia inside her Gulshan residence.
Defying the then administrative barriers, BNP announced to hold a March of Democracy Rally scheduled for 29 December 2013, in front of its Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka.
Sensing danger, the then administration in line with the directives of Sheikh Hasina parked five sand-laden trucks in front of her Gulshan resident so that she could not come out to reach the meeting venue.
Khaleda Zia, a two-time former premier, was scheduled to address the rally where she could called to try to force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and halt the poll.
Zia, who was under de facto house arrest, again urged her supporters to converge in the capital for the so-called “March of Democracy”.
Besides, police battled protesters who tried to gather at the BNP headquarters, the national press club and other places throughout Dhaka.
Some 11,000 police and elite Rapid Action Battalion officers were patrolling the capital to try to halt the march, according to the then police administration.
Police fear the rally will provoke more bloodshed after what has already been the deadliest year for political violence since independence in 1971.
Protests, strikes and transport blockades called by the opposition throughout the country since October have left more than 100 dead and crippled the impoverished nation’s economy.
Police detained more than 1,000 opposition supporters as a “preventive measure” before the latest march, while authorities suspended Dhaka-bound bus, ferry and train services – virtually cutting off the city from the rest of the country.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
