BCL attacks Oil Gas Committee demonstration, 20 injured
At least 20 top leaders and activists of the National Committee for the Protection of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, were injured Thursday afternoon assaulted by cadres of Bangladesh Chhatra League, in front of Dhaka College in the city Thursday afternoon.
The committee leaders blamed BCL, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, for the attack and announced they would hold a protest rally at Muktangan Friday afternoon.
The committee leaders blamed BCL, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, for the attack and announced they would hold a protest rally at Muktangan Friday afternoon.
Of the injured, engineer Shrekh Mohammad Shahidullah, Ruhin Hossain Prince, Ragib Ahsan Munna, advocate Abdus Salam, Salah Uddin Pritom, Hasan Taufiq, Abu Bakar Ripon, Shaikat Mallik, Hasan and Himel were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The rest received treatment at other hospitals and clinics.
Witnesses said, they were leading a demonstration when they were assaulted.
They earlier took out a procession from the Shahbagh crossing after a rally there to demand short, mid and long term solutions to gas and power supply problems.
No sooner they reached Dhaka College, a group of 20 or 25 BCL cadres equipped with iron rods, hockey sticks, cricket stumps and bamboo sticks swooped on the procession and severely beat all participants, particularly the leaders, they said.
The police remain silent spectators when they were assaulted in their presence, they said. Despite repeated requests, they said, the police took no action against the attackers.
The BCL cadres, they said, hurled abuses on the national committee leaders and threatened them with dire consequences.
At one stage, they said, the BCL cadres swooped on the rickshaw puller, the mike man and damaged the rickshaw and the loud speakers.
The national committee convener engineer Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah, and the member secretary Prof Anu Muhammad condemned the attack.
They demanded arrest and punishment of the attackers and said no attack can stop the movement for the protection of national and public interests.
Bangladesher Communist Party president Monzurul Ahsan Khan and general secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim condemned the attack and said no attack can stop the popular movement for solving the gas and power crises.
Bangladesh Samajtranrik Dal general secretary Khalequzzaman condemned the attack and said it exposed the government's 'fascist character.'
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Gono Sanghati Andolan leaders Zunayed Saki and Bachchu Bhuiyan condemned the attack. They said the government let loose its cadres to stop the people's movement after handing over gas and oil exploration to foreign companies.
Gono Sanghati Andolan leaders Zunayed Saki and Bachchu Bhuiyan condemned the attack. They said the government let loose its cadres to stop the people's movement after handing over gas and oil exploration to foreign companies.
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