Khaleda's motorcade attacked in Feni
The convoy of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, heading towards Cox's Bazar for her visit to Rohingya refugee camps, came under attack at Mohammad Ali Bazar near Feni district town yesterday.
At least 45 people were injured and some 30 vehicles damaged in the incident.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. When the cars were crossing the area around 4:45pm, a group of 40 to 50 youths with iron rods, sticks and brick chips swooped on the convoy, reported this correspondent, who was with the motorcade.
Chanting “Joy Bangla” slogans, they broke glasses of cars, including that of Channel i, DBC, Ekattor, Baishakhi, Ekushey TV channels and The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, and beat up dozens of BNP leaders and activists.
Nearly 15 journalists were also assaulted even after they disclosed their professional identities.
Obstacles were created allegedly by ruling Awami League activists at different points, including Comilla, Feni and Chittagong, apparently in efforts to keep opposition men from welcoming their chief.
The former prime minister reached Feni Circuit House safely around 5:00pm. After having lunch and taking rest, she started for Chittagong around 7:00pm.
After overnight stay at the port city's circuit house, she will leave for Cox's Bazar today to visit four Rohingya camps at Balukhali, Boalmari and Jamtali in Ukhia upazila.
She will be back in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Khaleda left her Gulshan residence at 10:40am yesterday, accompanied by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu. Party leaders and activists joined her from the Nayapaltan central office.
Around a hundred vehicles, including that of different media outlets, were in the convoy. Hundreds of activists and supporters carrying banners, festoons and placards thronged the roadsides on her way to Chittagong.
Led by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed, the party and its front organisations attempted to bring out a procession in front of BNP's Nayapaltan office yesterday evening to protest the attack on Khaleda's convoy.
But police dispersed them by charging batons and arrested three party men from the spot, a BNP press release said. Pro-BNP student body Chhatra Dal called a nationwide protest programme for today.
The BNP blamed ruling Awami League men, including Chhatra League and Jubo League activists, for the Feni incident, saying the government became fearful of Khaleda's public support. It also alleged that the attack was aimed at blocking people's wave on roads during her trip.
“The BNP chairperson's trip to refugee camps was planned on humanitarian grounds. Government's men attacked such a programme,” Mirza Fakhrul told The Daily Star at Feni Circuit House.
On the assault of newsmen, Fakhrul said it proves that the government does not believe in media freedom.
Not only in Feni, he alleged, the ruling party also attacked BNP men and created obstacles at different points on Khaleda's way to Cox's Bazar.
Earlier, before leaving the capital, Fakhrul said the party sought cooperation from the police and the administration to make Khaleda's trip a success.
Enamul Haq Shamim, AL's organising secretary for Chittagong division, claimed the internal feuds of BNP's Feni district unit led to the attack and that no AL man was involved in it.
Talking to this correspondent, he also said the government had taken all measures to make Khaleda's tour a smooth one but BNP men launched an attack on newsmen's cars to get media attention.
Kusum Dewan, additional deputy inspector general of police (Chittagong Range), said they were probing the incident and the culprits would definitely be found out.
Following the attack on Khaleda's motorcade, when some journalists went to a restaurant at Lalpur in Feni town to take lunch, a group of rowdy youths ransacked the hotel and asked the journalists to leave immediately.
Kazi Abul Bashar, general secretary of Dhaka South City BNP, who is with Khaleda, said the ruling party goons damaged nearly 15 vehicles that were under his supervision and beat up a number of leaders and activities of his party.
Eyewitness said miscreants attacked the tail end of Khaleda's motorcade. The BNP chief's vehicle was at the front.
According to multiple sources, 40 to 50 men, who had gathered at Star Line filling station, about a hundred yards from the place of occurrence, were involved in the attack. Some of them carried firearms, said eyewitness.
Shafiq Ahmed, a senior reporter of Ekattor TV, said he and his cameraperson were assaulted by the attackers during the incident in Feni. Their camera was damaged too.
Our Feni correspondent reports that big logs were put on roads at different points of Dagonbhuiya upazila, including Tulatoli, Dudhmukha and Beker Bazar, apparently to stop BNP men from going to Feni Sadar upazila to receive Khaleda.
Locals had to suffer immensely as plying of passenger vehicles on Noakhali-Feni route got suspended due to the barricades.
The ruling party men also tore up BNP's posters and banners at different parts of Feni Sadar upazila, alleged Mizanur Rahman, president of BNP Feni district unit.
In Mirsorai upazila in Chittagong, unidentified people hurled brick chips on a microbus of private TV channel nTV around 7:00pm injuring its senior reporter Hasan Mahmud, broadcast engineer Sayeed Ahmed and cameraperson Ajit.
In Comilla, ruling party activists reportedly attacked BNP men who gathered on different roads to welcome their leader.
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