A complaint has been made that a procession chanting “Joy Bangla” slogans was held in the presence of an upazila BNP president and party activists. More than 50 Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League leaders and activists are said to have taken part in the procession.
The incident took place in the Teknaf area of the Cox’s Bazar marine drive.
A picnic had been arranged on Saturday afternoon at the Jhaubagan in Hnila, Teknaf upazila. It was organised for local residents of the Fuler Dail area by the general secretary of Hnila union BNP, Nurul Azim Sohel. The president of Teknaf upazila BNP, advocate Hasan Siddiqui, was present.
According to witnesses, a section of those taking part in the picnic went up on to the marine drive in vehicles. There they held a procession chanting slogans such as “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina will come, Bangladesh will smile”.
Local people also said traffic on the road was disrupted for a time.
The president of Teknaf upazila BNP, advocate Md Hasan Siddiqui, said he was not there when the procession was held.
He told reporters: “They moved to another place and chanted the slogans after I arrived. I was not there at that time.”
Hasan Siddiqui said: “I was not the chief guest at all. The general secretary of Hnila union BNP, Nurul Azim Sohel, invited me and took me there. It is a picnic in his area.”
The organiser and BNP leader Nurul Azim Sohel said: “We dropped Hasan bhai (advocate Hasan Siddiqui) there as he was coming from Teknaf. Perhaps the people in one or two vehicles chanted these slogans after Hasan bhai and I had left.”
He added: “The picnic is in my own area. I am a local person too, and I am in the party (BNP). I cannot escape responsibility for a situation like this.”
Local residents say hundreds of leaders and activists associated with the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League took part in the picnic, and that some of them joined the slogans on the marine drive afterwards.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report