Cops foil BNP ‘black-flag’ show, Alal held

Police allegedly used water cannons and batons on the BNP leaders and activists today to foil their “black-flag” show arranged to protest the denial of permission for holding a rally in Dhaka on Thursday.

The law enforcers also picked up Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, joint secretary general of BNP, and 11 other party men from in front of the party central office in Nayapaltan, our staff correspondent reports quoting witnesses.

The organising secretary of BNP, Fazlul Haque Milon, and BNP leader Nipun Roy Chowdhury, also daughter-in-law of standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, were reportedly injured during the “police action” and sent to hospitals.

The leaders and activists started gathering in front of the party office around 10:00am with black flags but police used water cannons and charged batons to disperse the BNP men.

The leaders and activists tried to hold today’s protest programme also demanding the release of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and in protest of her jail sentence.

Khaleda was convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on February 8 by a special court in Dhaka.

Soon after her conviction, BNP announced countrywide demonstrations on Feb 9 and 10. Later, it staged protests from Feb 12 to 14.

The BNP had drawn up a plan to hold a rally on Thursday demanding release of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia but they did not get permission for the programme.

Later, the leaders decided to hold black-flag show in the capital protesting the denial of permission.