Khaleda Zia’s BNP demands arrest and trial of ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

Dhaka, Aug 15 (PTI) Former Bangladesh premier Khaleda Zia’s party on Thursday held sit-in programmes across the country, demanding the arrest and trial of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina and her accomplices for the recent violence in the country.

Hasina resigned on August 5 as prime minister and left following massive protests against her government.

An interim government headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on August 8 along with 16 advisers to lead the government.

Activists and workers of the Dhaka Metropolitan unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) gathered at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque’s South Gate, in front of Hasina’s Awami League party’s offices, and at the Central Shaheed Minar to press for their demands.

Over 230 people died in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government on August 5, taking the death toll to 560 during the three weeks of violence.

The interim government has already initiated an investigation against Hasina and nine others on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity that took place from July 15 to August 5 during the students’ mass movement against her government.

Activists and workers of the Dhaka Metropolitan unit of the BNP and its affiliate organisations are holding sit-in programmes at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque’s South Gate, in front of the Awami League offices, and at the Central Shaheed Minar to demand that ‘autocrat’ Hasina and her ‘accomplices’ be brought to justice for the loss of lives in the recent violence.

Several hundred BNP activists also gathered in front of the BNP’s central offices in Naya Paltan.

BNP Dhaka City South Convenor Rafiqul Islam Majnu led the protests at Baitul Mukarram on Thursday.

“We have announced a programme for today. The BNP and its affiliate organisations are taking part in the programme in Dhaka and across the country. We have one demand – the arrest and trial of fascist autocrat Sheikh Hasina and her accomplices. They have conducted a brutal genocide in Bangladesh.”

Over a hundred activists and leaders of the Savar Jubo Dal were in front of the destroyed Awami League offices on Bangabandhu Avenue. They chanted slogans calling for Hasina to be brought to justice.

Members of the Chhatra Dal, the affiliate student wing of the BNP, also gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar. Nearly a thousand leaders and activists of the organisation chanted slogans demanding trials for the ousted Hasina administration while waving the national and party flags.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Unit of the BNP and the Jubo Dal – the youth wing of the BNP also held marches in Malibagh, Mouchak, Shahjahanpur, and Kaptan Bazar.

The protest by the BNP came on the 49th anniversary of the assassination of the country’s founder and deposed prime minister Hasina’s father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Several students and general people this morning were seen near Mujibur Rahman’s residence in Dhanmondi-32 attacking and obstructing people apparently going there to pay their respects.

According to eyewitnesses, at least five people were beaten up by the people who were surrounding the area.