The BNP-led opposition has withdrawn its hartal to accelerate rescue operations at the eight-storey building that collapsed in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on Wednesday morning.
Shamsuzzaman Dudu, adviser to BNP chief Khaleda Zia, made the announcement at a press conference, at the party’s Naya Paltan office on Wednesday afternoon. The 18-Party Alliance had enforced a 36-hour nationwide shutdown from 6am on Tuesday, to demand the release of detained party men and holding of the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.
“In line with Khaleda Zia’s directive, we withdrew the hartal to accelerate rescue operations at the collapsed building,” Dudu said. The agitation programme was also called off to help family members of the victims to reach the spot from different parts of the country easily and rapidly, he added.
The main opposition BNP has alleged that the country’s democracy has got bloodstained and humanity has been banished due to the repressive and oppressive acts of the ruling Awami League.
“Now the country’s democracy has fallen flat getting bloodstained and humanity has been destroyed. Odours of the dead bodies are found in the air everywhere in the country due to the government’s misrule and repressive acts,” Dudu said.
The national and the nationalist party flags will be hoisted at half-must at all the offices of the party across the country on Thursday in remembrance of the Savar tragedy.
Doa and milad mehfil will be held at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters after asar prayer seeking eternal peace of the departed souls.
Dudu alleged that the government arrested and harassed many opposition leaders and activists across the country during the hartal hours.
The ruling party armed cadres killed BNP youth front leader Emon in Chapainawabganj and BNP activist Rustam Ali in Mehepur during Wednesday’s hartal hours, he claimed.
Police arrested over 300 opposition activists across the country during the hartal hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, while around 446 injured in attacks by law enforcers and ruling party cadres during the same time, he said.
-With The Independent input
