Condemning the attack on the Patuakhali residence of party vice-chairman Altaf Hossain Chowdhury reportedly by Chhatra League activists, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday urged the government to control the “ruling party ‘cadres”.

“We would like to tell the government to rein in terrorists, and stop repression on the leaders and activists of BNP and other opposition parties. Or else, people won’t forgive you,” he said.

In a statement, Fakhrul alleged that the leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) are getting more desperate letting loose by the ruling party leaders as they attacked the house of former home minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury on the first day of the New Year without any reason.

He alleged that Patuakhali BCL men, led by its president Hasan Shikder and general secretary Omar Farroque Bhuiyan, launched the attack and vandalised the main gate and furniture and other valuables of Altaf’s Patuakhali house.

Through the attack on the first day of the New Year, the BNP leader said, the BCL men sent out a message that they will continue their terrorist activities in 2020 as they did in previous years.

“This attack has proved again that Awami League is a terrorist political party which wants to hang onto power by force creating a super structure of terrorism,” he observed.

Fakhrul alleged that the ruling party ‘cadres’ have established a reign of repression through terrorist acts like killing and vandalism across the country as the offenders are not put on trial.

He demanded the government immediately arrest those involved in the incident and mete out exemplary punishment to them.