BNP on Monday alleged that the government has launched a fresh drive to arrest the leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies across the country ahead of the 12th parliamentary election.

“Any peaceful programme of opposition political parties, including BNP, is being attacked and reckless mass arrests are being carried out. The Awami illegitimate regime has resorted to the old game of mass arrests of BNP leaders and activists across the country to cling to power again in illegal ways,” said BNP assistant office secretary Syed Imran Saleh Prince.

Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, he also alleged that BNP leaders and activists who participated in the peaceful march at the union level on Saturday are being implicated in false and ghost cases.

“The law enforcers and Awami cadres have now taken a position against the people ahead of the 12th parliamentary polls…even the ghost cases are being filed where the (road march) programme was held peacefully,” the BNP leader said.

He said the ruling party activists along with police set fire to outdated motorcycles at some places to file false cases against the opposition leaders and activists.

As per the information they have received as of Monday morning, Prince said 45 fresh false cases have been filed accusing 1706 identified and 4,517 unidentified opposition leaders and activists in connection with the union-level road march programme.  

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Besides, he said, over 300 BNP leaders and activists were arrested in different ‘false’ cases while around 600 BNP opposition activists were injured in attacks by police and ruling party men in different places on Saturday. 

“In fact, the Awami League and the government have got unnerved seeing the presence of a huge number of leaders and activists of the BNP and its associate bodies in the road march programme in unions,” Prince observed.

He said the government has started its repressive and suppressive acts out of political vengeance as the BNP leaders and activists made the union-level march programme a success defying all obstacles and attacks.

“I would like to tell them that the 10-point movement has been accepted by the people and it has spread everywhere widely. The movement won’t be able to stop the movement by resorting to repression and plots. The fall of the illegal regime is imminent,” Prince said.