Astonishingly the police has not stopped after attacking the women. On the other hand they have lodged complaint against these tortured women. Different intelligence branches of police have been disturbing and harassing them.

Ministry of Home Affairs of the present Govt. has been trying to divert the event to different direction by propagating down right falsehood to cover up   the police atrocities and to absolve them of the responsibility for these offences. They have not only made the Awami League workers responsible for attempting to snatch the clothes of the women workers, but have also unjustly tried to create confusion about pictures published in the newspapers labeling it as fabricated. All the leading Newspapers in the country have protested against these motivated falsehood of the Govt.

During the present BNP-Jamaat regime, general political repression and oppression, specially political and social terrorism on women, has surpassed  all limits. Womenfolk has become the easy target of political vengeance of  BNP-Jamaat alliance. About one month ago, on 16th August, when Awami League  called a strike, 42 women were arrested and kept in a small room of the  police station in a suffocating condition for about 24 hours. It has now  become a regular event that in any meeting or assembly, the women become the  first prey to the police attack. Over them come down the police stick,  teargas, physical assault and they become object of organised arrest .

A similar barbaric assault occurred on 23rd July, 2002. Police, at dead of  night entered into Shamsunnahar Hall of Dhaka University at the orders of  Govt. They forcibly dragged out the female students and beat them with  sticks and 30 of them were lodged in police station after showing them  arrested. This incident has exceeded even the tyranny of Pakistani invaders.  The Alliance Govt. had also unfairly tried to stop the movement in protest  of this heinous act. Blood had been shed from the fellow students by baton charging and throwing rubber bullets on the peaceful assembly of female  students.

Almost similar incident occurred in the Engineering University (BUET).  Sadiqun Nahar Sony, a student of BUET was killed by bullet shot by a Pro-BNP  student organization, Bangladesh Nationalist Students Party. To stop the  movement against this killing, the authority at first closed the University  and them after opening of the University, dispersed police attacked the  procession of protesting students on 8th September 2002, wounding hundreds  of general female students.

This is not of course a new episode in the history of BNP, Earlier in the  nineties of 2002, terrorist  National Students Party of Begum Khelada Zia,  led an attack on the victory and joyful procession of the girls students of  Dhaka University.

At that time also, clothes of general girl students were snatched and  innumerable girl students were victims of lathi charge and bombs & were  wounded. The 1991 to 1996 regime of Begum Khaleda Zia is similarly tainted  with incidents of women persecution.  The Govt. tried to shelve the case of rape and killing of Yasmeen by labelling her as  a prostitute.

The Present day women persecution is not an isolated occurrance. After the  fraudulent election in 2001, more than 12000 supporters of Awami League,  women and children, have fallen prey to the BNP-Jamaat Alliance's political  retaliation in the last 2 years and have become. victims of rape, gangrape  and oppression in the hands of their terrorists.

Only because of their being Awami League supporters. Purnima of Sirajgonj, 7  years old Rajufa of Rajshahi, 4 years old child Sathe of Jhenidaha, 8 years  old Rita Rani of Bhola, Chhabi Rani Mondal of Bagerhat, disabled Shefali and  Alo Baroi, of Barisal, Mahfuza, wife of a freedom fighter of village Hizdi,  Kalaroa of Satkhira and many others including some aged above 60 years were  gang raped. Awami League Leader Chhabi Rani Mondal of Rampal, Bagerhat was  not only disgraced by the BNP-Jamaat terrorists but she was photographed  naked and seriously hurt by hammer on 21st August  2001 for observing 15th  August as a national day of mourning out of shame, the victims of rape and  assaults of BNP-Jamaat terrorists, Mahima, Fahema, Sumi, Indrani, Rumi and  Trisha and many other adolescents & young girls took their own lives.  Besides political terror, 57 women and children in average are being  subjected to social terror, persecution and rape in Bangladesh daily. In  reality the 4 party Alliance Govt. is engaged in establishing a mediaeval  Taleban rule in conjunction with women haters, fundamentalists and communal  groups.

Attack on human chains for preservation of environment Another example of BNP-Jamaat Contition Govt.s intolerance and fascist  activities is joint attack by police and terrorists on human chain organized  by Bangladesh Awami League on 29th September 2003 to protect the  environment. In order to save the principal rivers of the country including  Buriganga from the encroachment and also to save it from pollution as well  as to preserve environment, this programme was organised, and observed by  the riversides of Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Rajshahi,  In the afternoon of the day, suddenly   the BNP-Jamaat armed caders attacked  the human chain at Sadarghat area, of the Capital City, Dhaka. Due to  spontaneous resistance of the people, the terrorists fled away but later on  the police force came down heavily on the participants of the programme,  Many people and Awami League Leaders and supporters ware seriously injured  due to lathi charge by police.

One fails to imagine that a social and constructive issue like protection of  environment and a peaceful programme like human chain can become a target of  attack. This is really an unparalleled event.

Even the teachers are victims of savage attack. The teacher of the country are continuing their agitation by holding  meetings and assemblies, organizing human chains for increase of their pay  and allowances, stoppage of politicalisation of and restoration of congenial  environment in educational institutions. In there congregation on 20th  September at Palton Maidan and on 30th September at Central Shahid Minar,  thousands of teachers had peacefully voiced their problems 8 demands. But  without paying any heed to these, the Govt. resorted to repressions. Police  did not hesitate to attack the peaceful procession of the teachers on Oct,  1, 2003 at the Dhaka City roads and to beat them with sticks and butts of  the guns and trample them under shoes. One teacher lost one tooth being hit  by the butt of guns, another became unconscious  being hit by boot of the  police. What other more cruel disgrace and sad incident can happen to a  teacher than this ! From all these incidents, it has been amply proved that  the BNP-Jamaat Coalition Govt. out of political motivation of vengeance is  not willing to allow Awami League and other professional groups to  peacefully hold any programme. This conduct of Coalition Govt. and the  barbaric attacks, have again revealed their hated, undemocratic and fascist  character to the people of the country.

News Letter
Vol. 2. No. XIV. October 06, 2003
Bangladesh Awami League Publication