Awami League leader takes shelter at Duttabad in North 24-Pgns after crossing border
The Statesman | 7 August 2024
An Awami Leader of trouble-hit Bangladesh fled the country and took shelter at his relative’s residence at Duttabad in North 24-Parganas on Tuesday after crossing the Indo-Bangladesh border in Petrapole in the district.
Biswajit Saha, a local leader of the Awami League and resident of Kachua, Bagerhat in Bangladesh, alleged that the BNP leaders prepare a list of leaders belonging to the Awami League that used to rule the country till Monday afternoon when its longest serving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed resigned and fled after weeks of students’ unrest leading to bloodbaths. “The BNP has prepared a hit list of Awami League leaders to kill the latter.
I fled Bangladesh crossing the border otherwise I would have also been killed. The BNP supporters have already torched several shops and damaged houses and other establishments but the army is inactive and looks like a silent spectator,” Mr Saha alleged. The BNP along with Jamat, which was banned by the Sheikh Hasina government, feels that it’s already in power with the fall of the Awami League government, he said adding,“I am not a big leader. Now I am not in politics. Many other leaders of the Awami League are also fleeing Bangladesh.” “Last night, I was in a hideout in a bush near my residence at Kachua and somehow managed to flee today to save my life.
My relative owns a house at Duttapukur where I have taken shelter,” Mr Saha added. On the other hand, BSF has intensified its vigilance along the border through night vision cameras since Monday. Jawans of the security forces are keeping strong watches along Ghojadanga, Petrapole, Mehadipur, Phulbari, Chayangrabandha etc in south and north Bengal region to prevent Bangladeshi infiltrations to India.