A group of unidentified people set ablaze the central office of Jatiya Party at Kakrail in the capital on Thursday for assisting the ‘fascist’ Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.
Witnesses said a group of people wearing helmets and armed with sticks entered the JP office through its main entrance, tore off the banners and festoons, vandalised the furniture and then torched the front of the office and rooms inside under the banner of ‘Anti-Fascist Student-Workers’.
The attackers termed the Jatiya Party a ‘cohort of the Awami League and India’ as they participated in the last three national elections held under the Awami League government, they said.
Clashes and counter clashes took place between JP activists and the student-worker group, they said.
The protesters also painted several graffiti on the walls of the building following the clash with JP men.
Chanting various slogans slamming the JP, which was the main opposition party during the last two terms of the AL-led government,
the ‘Anti-Fascism Student, Worker and Public’ besieged the JP headquarters following the clash with party men.
On information, members of the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Police rushed to the site to bring the situation under control.
Earlier, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement announced that they will bring out a procession towards the JP headquarters at Bijaynajar in the city.
“The national traitors Jatiya Party has beaten our brothers in Bijaynagar with weapons and is rallying with weapons. This time, the overthrow of these traitors is certain,” Sarjis and Hasnat posted in their respective Facebook profiles simultaneously.
In another simultaneous post, they said they would move to Bijoynagar from the Dhaka University campus.
“We will move to Bijayanagar with procession at 8:30pm from Raju Bhaskarya. National traitors must be wiped out,” reads the post.
The JP has been facing the criticism following its participation in the last general polls boycotted by the major opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The JP secured the second highest number of seats in parliament after participating in the 12th parliamentary polls through a negotiation with the ruling Awami League. The AL left 26 seats for the JP. But it got only 11 candidates.
Confirming the incident of fire at JP headquarters, Md Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of Ramna division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said fire fighters have been called to douse the blaze.
JP leaders and activists left the office for safety after the incident, he added.
“Two units of firefighters are working to douse the blaze after being informed about the fire at around 7:40pm,” said Rashed Bin Khaled, duty officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
