“There’s no security of people anywhere in Bangladesh. Rape and repression on women have taken a serious turn in society due to the government’s oppressive governing policy,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhl Kabir Rizvi.

Speaking at a human-chain programme, he further said, “Hiramoni and many other girls were subjected to rape and murder due to coercive state policy of the current government and the Prime Minister. We condemn the incident in Laxmipur. We demand exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.”

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal arranged the programme in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan central office protesting the rape and murder of the school girl.

Hiramoni Begum, a ninth grader of Palerhat High School in Laxmipur Sadar upazila, was killed after reportedly being raped on Friday

Some miscreants swopped on Hiramoni when she was alone at home as her mother went to Dhaka for her father’s treatment recently. They strangulated her to death after violating her.

Rizvi also accused the government of continuing repression on its leaders and activists and warned of taking to the streets amid the coronavirus imbued with the protest by people in the USA against George Floyd murder.

He alleged that law enforcers are arresting dissidents and those belong to opposition parties at the dead of night. “Our Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal leaders are being arrested and made disappeared,” he said.

A Chhatra Dal leader in Jashore remained traceless after he had been ‘picked up’ by law enforcers.

" We would like to clearly say  if you (the government) arrest our boys, we will not sit idle as we we’ll take to the streets braving the corona pandemic. If people in the US can take to the streets amid coronavirus, we can also do it against this despotic regime," he said.

The BNP leader said people are now not getting treatment at hospitals as the government has failed to deal with the coronavirus situation, and ensure necessary safety equipment for doctors.