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SORRY, Khaleda

Death figures blown out of proportion

SHAKHAWAT LITON and RASHIDUL HASAN
in her latest press conference, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia gave figures on the killing of BNP-led alliance leaders and activists between December 26 and January 27 this year, which are not supported by facts on the ground.
The Daily Star investigated the high death figures in nine districts presented by the BNP chief, and found them incorrect, exaggerated and false.
Khaleda on February 4 claimed that law enforcers and Awami League men had killed 242 BNP-led alliance men in 34 districts across the country during the period. She, however, gave the names of only five of the victims (two cases of killing and three of forced disappearance).
The nine districts with high death figures are shown in the infographic.
Upon cross-checking with local BNP leaders in the nine districts, The Daily Star found that there had been only 17 deaths during the period as against 152 claimed by Khaleda.
The Daily Star had earlier run reports on the 17 deaths in the nine districts.
Khaleda told the press conference that the death figures were based on information received by the BNP central office, and the “real picture was even worse. *
According to BNP sources, a few staff of the centra] office collected the information on the deaths over the last one year by calling up party's district leaders.
Asked about this, some district BNP leaders said Khaleda had cited a year's death figure as a month's death toll. And most district BNP leaders don't accept her claim. CROSS-CHECKING OF FACTS
According to Khaleda's claim, 27 people, including five activists of the BNP and Jubo Dal, were killed. And almost all of the remaining victims are local members of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir.
But according to journalists in Satkhira, seven people were killed in the district in the one-month period. Police have put the figure at six.
Rahmatullah Palash, president of Satkhira district BNP, said, "I am sure that 27 people were not killed in one month in my district."
Khaleda put the death figure at 23 in Chandpur. Of the victims, 21 belonged to the BNP, Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal and Sramik Dal.
But Chandpur district BNP President Mominul Haq said those 23 people were not killed in one month, they were killed in the last five or six months. Mominul said he didn't have any record on deaths of opposition men during the one-month period.
The Daily Star carried a report on the death of a Juba Dal leader in the district in that period.
The BNP chairperson claimed that 20 people were killed in Laxmipur, and almost all of them were local leaders of her party and its front organisations.
Harun-ur Rashid, organising secretary of Laxmipur district BNP, however, said only two opposition men were killed during the period.
Khaleda also mentioned that 17 activists of the BNP, Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal were killed in Cox's Bazar. But district BNP President Shajahan Chowdhury and its Office Secretary Yusuf Badri said no BNP man was killed during the period.
According to the BNP chairperson's claim, 15 people, including eight local leaders of the party and its front organisations, were killed in Chittagong. Gazi Shajahan Jewel, general secretary of Chittagong district (North) BNP, said he had sent a list of the dead to the party's central office, but he
refused to give it to The Daily Star.
During the period, The Daily Star ran reports on deaths of four opposition men, which were corroborated by Mohammad Ali, senior staff correspondent of the Dainik Purbokon, a Chittagongbased newspaper, and Mithun Chowdhury, local correspondent of a national news agency.
Khaleda put the death figure in Sirajganj at 14 that include seven members of the BNP, Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal.
However, Harunur Rashid Hasan, office secretary of Sirajganj district BNP, said only one Jubo Dal leader was killed during that time.
She claimed that 13 men of the BNP-led alliance were killed in Chapainawabganj. Of them, seven were BNP activists.
But in reality, it was an Awami League man, Enamul Haq, who was burnt to death by opposition activists during the period. Emran Faruk Masum, editor of the Daily Chapai Dristi, refuted Khaleda's claim, saying except for Enamul, none was killed in the district during that time.
Joypurhat district BNP leaders were unaware that 12 party activists were killed in the one-month period, as claimed by Khaleda.
Mozahar Ali Prodhan, president of Joypurhat district BNP, said 12 people were killed in police firing over the last one year.
The death figure mentioned by Mozahar was corroborated by the superintendent of police in Joypurhat, HamidulAlam.
When his attention was drawn to Khaleda's claim, Mozahar refrained from making any comments.
The BNP chief also cited that 11 activists of the BNP-led alliance were killed in Noakhali.
But Harun-ur Rashid, general secretary of Noakhali district BNP, said 11 people were killed in the last three months. He, however, couldn't give any death figure for the said one month.
Other local sources said two opposition men were killed in the one-month period.
JUGGLERY OF FIGURES
The district-wise death figures given by Khaleda appeared more or less authentic only when the period was
extended by more than a year from the one month she had specified.
At a press conference on January 22, acting BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed 294 activists of the BNP-led alliance were killed in three months from November. But he couldn't give details to support his claim.
Party's Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed on February 6 told reporters that his party couldn't prepare a complete list of the alliance leaders and activists killed in recent times, as they didn't have much time to do so because of the government's "relentless repression".
However, The Daily Star would like to note that even 17 deaths in a month are much higher and not acceptable. And the death of around 200 people in political violence in a year is a matter of grave concern. This should be investigated by the government and necessary measures should be taken to bring an end to the culture of political killings.
[Our correspondents in the nine districts contributed to this report]