Cops foil BNP's protest rallies

Police yesterday foiled rallies and processions of BNP and its associate organisations at different districts including Barisal and Faridpur.

The party organised the programmes in protest of a High Court verdict sentencing BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman to seven years' imprisonment and fined him Tk 20 crore scrapping his acquittal in the money-laundering case.

“We are disappointed and aggrieved by the verdict. The government out of its political vengeance had appealed for scrapping the lower court verdict that acquitted Tarique Rahman. He did not get justice from the higher court,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday.

He made the remarks while talking to reporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on his return from the UK after attending a seminar at the House of Lords on Bangladesh's current situation.

Meanwhile, in Chittagong, police foiled BNP and Jubo Dal's move to bring out a procession from the BNP office at Nasiman Bhaban around 1:30pm, reports our correspondent. Jubo Dal Chittagong city unit General Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Dipti alleged that police suddenly started charging baton on them while a Jubo Dal procession was heading toward the BNP office.

Contacted, Nur Ahmed, inspector (investigation) of Kotwali Police Station, said police removed the BNP men who had occupied the road. He, however, denied charging baton on them.  

Police also foiled BNP's procession at Gaibandha and Barisal when the BNP men moved for holding those on the road.

In Narayanganj, BNP claimed that five party leaders and activists were injured as police chased a procession of Jubo Dal Narayanganj city at Missionpara, reports our correspondent. BNP men also brought out processions in Tangail, Khulna, Dinajpur and Natore.