The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party said on Friday that people wanted to know the exact figure of deaths and injured persons during the week-long deadly violence centring the student protest demanding quota system reform in government jobs.
鈥楶eople want the exact statistics of how many innocent people have been killed and maimed in the last few days. People also want to know how much ammunition, and how many tear shells and sound grenades bought with public money have been used on students,鈥� BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said in a statement.
He said that one day the people will make them answer for their deeds of killing people using the helicopters bought with the state鈥檚 money.
Fakhrul said that after the mass killing of students across the country, opposition party leaders and activists were being searched and arrested in a relentless hunt across the country.
鈥業ncidents of detention and torture are going on. Arrested people are kept hidden and tortured and brought to court after three, four or five days, which is a gross violation of law and human rights,鈥� he said, adding that fear was being instilled among people by the brutal practice of making citizens disappear.
The number of casualties has set a record in history. The joint attack of ruling party activists and law enforcement agencies on the students in the movement broke all the records of brutality by all the dictators in country and abroad, the statement read.
鈥楾he illegal government is arbitrarily arresting the leaders and activists of opposition parties, including BNP, to hide their criminal acts and failures,鈥� he said.
The BNP leader called upon all patriotic people, political parties, students, teachers, farmers, workers and professionals to unite to protect the country鈥檚 independence and sovereignty, to defeat the terrible fascist regime and start an all-out movement to bring back people鈥檚 democratic governance.
Demanding immediate withdrawal of the curfew and military as well, Fakhrul said that using the army to suppress the righteous movement of the students would never gain acceptance.
鈥楩or Awami League to remain in power, innocent students have been shot dead like birds in the past few days. Massacres were carried out. These incidents are reminiscent of the Pakistani invasion forces,鈥� he said.
Calling on the government to stay away from such heinous acts, he said that a government that could brutally kill innocent people to perpetuate its rule and failed to safeguard the state assets and facilities had no moral right to stay in power.
鈥楽o resign immediately and take measures to ensure the safety of people鈥檚 lives and property by handing over power to a non-partisan neutral government to hold an impartial election,鈥� he said.
