No more than 11,000 BNP leaders and activists are in jail amid violent antigovernment protests by the opposition party, Obaidul Quader has said.

The Awami League general secretary disputes the BNP’s claim that 21,000 leaders and activists of the opposition party have been arrested.

“They say 21,000 are behind bars. I’ve received confirmation that there are 11,000 in jail,” he said at a rally before the party’s Victory Day march in Dhaka’s Ramna on Tuesday.

He said 2,000 of the jailed BNP leaders and activists were being bailed on Tuesday.

“So, there will be 9,000. I can challenge that the figure 21,000 given by the BNP is fake,” said Quader.

He also condemned the deadly fire in a train allegedly caused by arsonists in support of the BNP’s hartal, or shutdown.

At least four people, including a 32-year-old woman and her 3-year-old son, died in the incident in Tejgaon in the wee hours of Tuesday.

“Those who set the train ablaze will not be spared. They have snatched away the lives of four people, including a mother and her child,” said Quader.

“This is similar to the genocide by Israel in Gaza.”