CPB President Manjurul Ahsan Khan and acting general secretary Shah Alam in a statement said act of the JP activists was a savagery as Ershad was leading the procession at that time.

"The dictator that was ousted in a mass upsurge 15 years ago, still continues his autocratic way of life instigated by the alliance government," they said.

They blamed the law enforcers for remaining inactive despite frequent request to control the situation.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President Hasanul Haque Inu and General Secretary Syed Zafar Sajjad termed the incident 'a plot to incite a conflict between the communal and secular forces.'

Convenor of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) Khalekuzzaman also condemned the incident strongly. He criticised the role of the law enforcement agencies and demanded immediate arrest and trial of the 'JP terrorists.'

Bangladesh Chhatra Union, CPB's student wing, also protested the attack.