Online Desk: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had a plan to cut off the capital city from the rest of the country, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khana Kamal has said.

“They (BNP) had a plan to cut off Dhaka from the rest of the country today. We saw that few central leaders of BNP blocked the roads after taking positions besides these. They stopped the movement of vehicles after blocking the roads,” he told journalists at Rajarbag Police Hospital after visiting the police members who were injured during clashes with BNP in their sit-ins in the city on Saturday.

The minister said, “They organized a grand rally yesterday, and gathered supporters from across the country before this rally. Government has no objection on holding the programmes by political parties. But when anyone creates public sufferings, do harms of lives and assets, kills and vandalizes vehicles then law enforcement agencies will do their duties as per their responsibilities.”

He said, “Many police members have been injured while performing their duties in such a situation (clash during BNP’s sit-in programmes). Of the injured, 31 police members are receiving treatment at Rajarbag Police Hospital while others are in different hospitals in the city.”

The home minister said BNP resorted to arson terrorism during 2014-15 in Dhaka. Are they repeating the same arson terrorism, he questioned. He further said, “BNP is organizing different programmes in last few days with an aim to create anarchy and public sufferings. Yesterday they played a recorded speech of its acting chairman Tarique Rahman in the rally violating order of the High Court.”

The home minister urged BNP not to repeat arson terrorism like 2014-15. If these occurred (arson terrorism) then no one, including police, law enforcement agency and people of the country will not tolerate, he warned.