The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Saturday questioned how a banned organisation could be able to hold public processions.
Speaking at a press conference on the occasion of International Women鈥檚 Day at the party central office in the capital鈥檚 Naya Paltan area, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Rizvi urged the government to take the matter seriously.
His remarks came a day after a procession of banned Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir in the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque area after Jumma prayers on Friday.
鈥楾he government must ensure that 鈥榚vil forces鈥� do not resurface in the country,鈥� Rizvi said.
He expressed concern over the incidents of harassment of women across the country and expressed fear that extremist groups might be behind these incidents.
No individual or group has the right to comment on women鈥檚 clothing, he said and added that such statements were signs of extremism.
He said that women, including students and female workers, were being subjected to harassment, molestation, and eve-teasing on the streets and in educational institutions and workplaces.
He also highlighted the alarming rise in incidents of rape and violence against women.
Rizvi warned that the persistent culture of harassment, repeated attacks on women, and the prevailing impunity have become significant threats to the stability and harmony of the state.
He stressed the need to investigate the underlying causes of this social degradation and determine whether a deliberate conspiracy was eroding the dignity and security of women.
The BNP leader said that this barbarity and violence could be instigated or supported by an extremist group seeking to destabilise the country.
Rizvi said that the BNP, if elected by the people, would take special measures to establish women鈥檚 rights, promote their development and free them from exploitation and oppression.
Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal president Afroza Abbas and general secretary Sultana Ahmed were present.
BNP standing committee member Selima Rahman, addressing a pre-rally gathering of the Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal in front of the party central office on Saturday, questioned the government鈥檚 silence on preventing mob justice across the country.
Selima also questioned why women continued to face rape and harassment despite the sacrifices during the August 5, 2024 uprising, which confirmed the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led fascist regime.
She highlighted ongoing incidents, including those on buses and streets, and cited the Magura incident as an example of repeated rape and harassment.
Selima Rahman said that if the government failed to address social instability, mob justice and violence against women, the aspirations of the Bangladeshis to free themselves from fascism would remain unfulfilled.