BNP, opposition parties call countrywide sit-in protest on 11 Jan
At least 11 Jamaat men arrested over a clash with police at Malibagh; 10 cops injured; no other party reported casualty
Tens of thousands of activists from 34 opposition parties, including the BNP, Jamaat, Gono Odhikar Parishad, and LDP, took part in simultaneous anti-government processions in Dhaka Friday, which also marked a clash between Jamaat men and police at Malibagh.
The main opposition BNP on Friday announced a mass sit-in protest in all divisional cities including Dhaka on 11 January as part of the simultaneous anti-government movement. It also urged all of its allies to call similar programmes on the same day.
The Awami League and its allies were also on the streets across the capital to counter any kind of destructive activities during the opposition's mass rallies.
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Meanwhile, city commuters, especially in the Dhaka South areas, suffered on roads – although it was a weekly holiday – due mainly to a scarcity of public transport. The streets that were used for the processions were almost blocked for general commuters. Most of the roadside shops were also closed.
At least 11 Jamaat-e-Islam men were arrested over the clash with police at Malibagh, security officials said, while some 10 policemen were injured. Two Jamaat activists were also injured and taken to hospital, according to party insiders.
The BNP was supposed to start its programmes at 2pm. Most of its leaders and activists had started gathering at Nayapaltan and nearby areas since early morning. The two-kilometre road from the Kakrail intersection to Motijheel became crowded heavily around 1pm. The party brought out its procession at 2:35pm from Nayapaltan and continued for nearly three hours to end at Mogbazar.
"The mass procession is the first programme of our 10-point movement. Thirty-three other parties expressed their solidarity with us. Our mission is to overthrow the incumbent government," BNP Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said while addressing the event.
"The government has failed to stop us even keeping our 24,000 leaders in jail. They thought they would be able to make our mass movement abortive by sending our central leaders to jail but it did not happen."
He further added that no matter how much oppression comes, our leaders have taken to the streets. "And they cannot be stopped."
BNP leaders also criticised the ruling Awami League for its failure in the Rangpur city polls. They also alleged that the government looted public assets and destroyed the economy.
This time the Jamat-e-Islam called the first programme simultaneously with the BNP after the breakup of its alliance, but it experienced bitterness in the first happening.
The religion-based party failed to hold its pre-planned programme at the Baitul Mukarram mosque premises after the Jummah prayers due as the police halted them. Later, a group of the activists gathered in the Malibagh area and got involved in a clash. Another group carried out a procession in the Jatrabari area peacefully.
Meanwhile, former DUCSU Vice President Nurul Haq Noor-led Gono Odhikar Parishad and colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed-led LDP held separate peaceful mass rallies in Bijoynagar and Karwan Bazar areas respectively.
Tensions arose after a procession of the 12-party alliance, who are parts of the former 20-party alliance led by the BNP, and another one of Awami League came close together in the Bijoynagar area but both the sides moved forward without any clash at length.
Apart from these events, the leaders of the 7-party alliance Ganatantra Mancha delivered public speeches in front of the National Press Club, where they expressed solidarity with the BNP 11 January mass sit-ins in all divisions. Earlier in the day, the Ganatantra Mancha brought out a mass procession at around 11am.
