Dhaka: BNP on Wednesday alleged that its chairperson Khaleda Zia is living in prison like in hell in an unhealthy condition amid sects and damp room of the abandoned Old Dhaka Central Jail.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the government is not proving proper treatment to Khaleda with a motive to endanger her life by forcing her to live an unbearable life in jail, reports the UNB.

‘The unhealthy, damp and unliveable room in which our leader has been staying has become a centre to get affected with various diseases. It’s like living in hell amid many insects,’ he said.

The BNP leader claimed that the condition of their ailing party chief is worsening with the bites of the insects. ‘She coughs always as the room is wet, unhealthy and filled with dust.’

He said the medical board formed by the government recommended providing Khaleda with an orthopaedic bed and taking her to a specialised hospital for an MRI test, but the jail authorities are not paying heed to it due to the ‘government’s instruction’.

Rizvi said Khaleda’s some relatives, who met her in jail on Tuesday, informed them that she has been suffering from serious pain in her neck, left hand, legs and eyes.

He said the condition of Khaleda’s eyes is seriously deteriorating due to the fall of cement and sand from outworn walls of the jail. ‘Her two eyes always remain red because of pain.’

He alleged Khaleda has been kept in a painful condition and made her sufferer only to in satisfy the Prime Minister’s ‘vengeance and anger’.

About the ongoing anti-narcotics drive, the BNP leader raised a doubt whether the government is killing the suspected drug peddlers and addicts in crossfires in a bid to save the ‘real drug dealers’.

Rizvi said though 43 suspected drug peddlers were killed over the last nine days, the real drug dealers remained untouched. ‘As per media reports, they are visiting the residences of influential ministers.’

The BNP leader also alleged that the government is selectively killing young men belonging to BNP in the name of the anti-narcotics drive.