Rizvi: BNP's jailed activists facing humanitarian crisis in overcrowded jails

BNP has alleged that its leaders and workers in jails are facing a humanitarian crisis as the prison wards are already overcrowded, filled with over four times their usual capacity thanks to ongoing wholesale arrests.

Speaking at a virtual press briefing on Monday, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also said:  “The government is concocting 'stories of arson violence' against the BNP to blemish its 'peaceful' movement and to arrest more opposition leaders and workers.”

He said: “The prisons are witnessing a humanitarian disaster. Lawyers and relatives are unable to know where the leaders and workers sent to Keraniganj jail are being taken away. The leaders and workers have been kept in heavily packed wards of each building inside the prison.”

The BNP leader said that 40-50 prisoners are being kept in each ward, which cannot even accommodate more than 10-15 inmates.

He said: “Even, the imprisoned BNP leaders and workers are not allowed to go out of their wards both during the day and night.”

Rizvi also alleged that the jailed opposition leaders and workers are being subjected to repression due to the political vendetta of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He also said: “More than 275 BNP leaders and activists were arrested across the country in the last 24 hours as of 4:30pm Monday while nine more fresh cases were filed accusing 995 opposition followers.”

The BNP leader claimed that law enforcers are daily raiding the houses of opposition leaders and workers to arrest them.

Besides, he alleged that the government started a game of torching vehicles to put the blame on the BNP and thus suppress the ongoing movement for the restoration of people’s voting rights. He said: “There are countless proofs of which are now in the hands of people.”

Indicating a video showing those who set fire to the bus running into the Awami League office, he said: “Such scenes are seen every day in various incidents. The story of arson attacks against BNP is being cooked up and propagated only to tarnish the peaceful movement for democratic rights.”

He said: “Camera persons of some pro-government TV stations remain present where vehicles are torched. It is an indication to easily understand that arson attacks are part of a master plan.”

Rizvi, however, urged the party leaders and workers to take to the streets peacefully during their blockade program without responding to any provocation.

Source: UNB