No mass participation in ongoing spate of BNP's blockade: Joy

Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy said the ongoing spate of blockade fails to guarantee mass participation.

He pointed to media-broadcasted videos depicting the vandalism of at least two buses during a BNP rally led by Kalim Uddin Milon, the president of the Sunamganj Zila BNP unit.

On 8 November, led by Kalim, a handful of BNP leaders armed with sticks and rods, blocked Madanpur intersection on Sylhet highway and carried out vandalism according to the video captured and broadcast by Samakal. 

Kamrul Islam, organizing secretary of BNP, and Nurul Islam, general secretary of Sunamganj Zila unit, were also seen carrying sticks during the vandalism.

Sajeeb Wazed posted a video compiling such media reports from his verified X handle, formerly twitter.

Appalled at their sudden appearance, shopkeepers at the intersection shut down their shops, reveals the video.

Sunamganj is located in north-eastern Bangladesh. Armed with sticks and rods, they vandalised a bus. In turn, another CNG was attacked and damaged. Slogans such as "blockade will go on", "burn streets", "We are Zia's soldiers", were chanted during and after the vandalism.

Then, Milon, also a former BNP lawmaker, hailed the attackers and gave a short speech where he warned of tougher consequences.

Pointing to the presence of around 20 men in the video, Sajeeb Wazed wrote "During the speech, he claimed countrymen were in support of the blockade but video as broadcast by media outlets reveals there was no mass participation given the group consisted of his 20 loyalist cadres only".

Sajeeb Wazed said the same group vandalised another bus and later fled sensing the arrival of police.

"Meanwhile, after evening, another group of arsonists, led by Kazi Salauddin Kader Asad, a joint convener of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal Chattogram (students' front) city unit, brought out another sudden rally with a call for enforcing blockade," he added.

Amid reported incidents of arson on vehicles, they were seen carrying fire sticks, triggering a sense of panic among pedestrians, according to the video.