Planned killings could escalate to thwart polls: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that incidents of planned killings may increase in an attempt to thwart the upcoming 13th parliamentary election.

He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after paying tribute on behalf of the BNP at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur on the occasion of Martyred Intellectuals Day on Sunday morning (December 14).

Mirza Fakhrul said that at a time when the country is moving toward a new chapter and aspiring to build a democratic Bangladesh through elections, enemies of the nation are becoming involved in planned acts of violence. Strongly condemning recent killings, he warned that such incidents could occur again, according to the BNP’s assessment.

Recalling the events of December 14, 1971, he said the Pakistani occupation forces, in collusion with their collaborators, abducted and killed university teachers, doctors, engineers, researchers, poets, writers and journalists, causing the nation to lose its finest sons. “It was a planned massacre aimed at completely crippling Bangladesh intellectually,” he said, adding that “tragically, similar killings of our sons have taken place in 2024.”

Earlier, BNP leaders placed wreaths at the main altar of the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial to pay homage to the nation’s fallen intellectuals.

Senior party leaders, including BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Joint Secretary General Amanullah Aman, and Dhaka North BNP Member Secretary Aminul Haque, were present during the programme.