The motorcade of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia came under attack by unidentified people when she was campaigning for a party-endorsed mayoral candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation on Monday evening.
Her security staff managed to get her out of the area unharmed but several vehicles were damaged, the party claimed.
Although Ms. Khaleda, who has recently abandoned her three-month-long violent anti-government agitation, remained unhurt, the attack left three persons injured.
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Reporters covering Ms. Khaleda’s campaign said a group of BNP men later chased away the attackers, around 50, who were armed with iron rods, sticks and wood slices. Later, the BNP called a daylong countrywide hartal for Wednesday except for Dhaka and Chittagong cities, blaming the ruling party for the attack. The ruling party, however, denied the claim.
Earlier on Sunday, over 100 agitated people carrying black flags and sticks demonstrated at Dhaka’s Uttara when Khaleda Zia was campaigning for her nominees.
Khaleda Zia, whose party boycotted the 2014 general elections and led an abortive months-long violent agitation to unseat the government, has endorsed candidates for the crucial city elections to be held in Dhaka North, Dhaka South and in Chittagong city corporations on April 28.
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The violent agitation that Ms. Khaleda led claimed at least 125 lives, injuring over a thousand. Although the city polls are non-partisan, both ruling Awami League and BNP nominated their mayoral and councillor candidates in the polls.