Opposition chief whip and BNP leader Zainul Abdin Farroque has said that the arrest of top leaders of the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance was a proof that the government wanted to eliminate the opposition.
"Our agitation cannot be subdued through such arrests and false cases. Shutdown will continue," Farroque said.
He was talking to journalists on Thursday at the party's Naya Paltan headquarters, which law enforcers cordoned off since the early hours.
The measure has been taken as a countrywide shutdown is being enforced by the opposition demanding release of the senior leaders.
The opposition alliance declared the day-long shutdown on Wednesday after a Dhaka court denied bail of 33 top opposition leaders and sent them to prison in a case over torching a vehicle during the Apr 29 shutdown.
Police detained three including BNP's Education Secretary Khairul Kabir Khokan at around 9:30am on Thursday from the party headquarters.
"We have enforced 13 shutdowns over the last three and a half years. Awami League had enforced 33 lockdowns in a year and 175 in the five years during our tenure," the opposition chief whip said.
"We are enforcing the shutdown to free democracy."
Farroque added that the opposition would continue its movement demanding reinstatement of the caretaker government, 'return' of missing M Ilias Ali, one of BNP's organising secretaries, and release of the detained senior leaders.
BNP Joint Secretary General Mizanur Rahman Minu said, "We do not want to enforce shutdowns. But the government is forcing us to do so."
"They have arrested nearly all senior leaders, including Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, of a major political party like BNP in a false case," he said adding that in such a situation they had not other option but to enforce lockdowns.
"Our agitation cannot be subdued through such arrests and false cases. Shutdown will continue," Farroque said.
He was talking to journalists on Thursday at the party's Naya Paltan headquarters, which law enforcers cordoned off since the early hours.
The measure has been taken as a countrywide shutdown is being enforced by the opposition demanding release of the senior leaders.
The opposition alliance declared the day-long shutdown on Wednesday after a Dhaka court denied bail of 33 top opposition leaders and sent them to prison in a case over torching a vehicle during the Apr 29 shutdown.
Police detained three including BNP's Education Secretary Khairul Kabir Khokan at around 9:30am on Thursday from the party headquarters.
"We have enforced 13 shutdowns over the last three and a half years. Awami League had enforced 33 lockdowns in a year and 175 in the five years during our tenure," the opposition chief whip said.
"We are enforcing the shutdown to free democracy."
Farroque added that the opposition would continue its movement demanding reinstatement of the caretaker government, 'return' of missing M Ilias Ali, one of BNP's organising secretaries, and release of the detained senior leaders.
BNP Joint Secretary General Mizanur Rahman Minu said, "We do not want to enforce shutdowns. But the government is forcing us to do so."
"They have arrested nearly all senior leaders, including Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, of a major political party like BNP in a false case," he said adding that in such a situation they had not other option but to enforce lockdowns.
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