Denied permission to hold rally in Dhaka; demo in capital today
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Staff Correspondent
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| Police foil a black flag procession brought out by BNP leaders and activists in Mymensingh's Gauripur yesterday. On Monday, the party had announced such processions across the country to observe “Democracy Killing Day” yesterday. Photo: Star |
The BNP could not hold its planned rally in the city as the government did not give permission, while police foiled the party's processions in at least 25 districts and upazilas across the country yesterday (Friday).
The party brought out processions in different districts to mark what it calls the "democracy killing day," but law enforcers either obstructed those or beat up the party men, injuring dozens, party leaders alleged.
In protest, the BNP will stage demonstrations in all the Dhaka city corporation ward areas today.
In Narayanganj, police charged batons on BNP activists when they held a rally. At least five BNP activists were injured in that incident in front of the Press Club there.
In Keraniganj, police used teargas shells and batons to foil a rally, injuring around 25 party activists. At one stage, police and BNP men chased each other. In response, police fired blank shots and arrested six party men.
In Khulna, police obstructed a BNP rally and beat up the party men, injuring at least 14 when the party brought out the rally in front of the party office around 11:00am.
In Mymensingh, police searched the houses of a number of BNP leaders. In Dinajpur, police did not allow the BNP leaders to get out of their party office.
The other places where BNP activists faced police obstructions include Barisal, Bandarban, Kishoreganj, Bhola, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Pirojpur, Jamalpur, Joypurhat and Narsingdi.
“The obstructions of the BNP rallies once again proved that the Awami League is a party that kills democracy,” said BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, declaring today's protest programme at a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan headquarters.
Rizvi added that the government did not allow the BNP to hold the rally as part of its policy to hush up the “controversial” national elections held on January 5, 2014.
He slammed the government for denying them the permission to hold a rally when the ruling party was given permission to hold two rallies in the capital.
A huge number of law enforcers were deployed in and around the BNP's headquarters since morning.
Earlier on Thursday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police denied the BNP permission to hold the rally yesterday, the fourth anniversary of the 2014 parliamentary elections.
On Monday, the BNP said it would hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan and bring out black flag processions across the country to observe the day as “democracy killing day” to register its protest against the 10th national elections.
The AL marked the day as “victory day for democracy” holding two rallies in Banani and on the Bangabandhu Avenue in addition to “gala” celebrations across the country.
The last parliamentary elections were held on January 5, 2014 amid controversy as the BNP and most other political parties boycotted the polls terming it “farcical and one-sided”. At least 153 lawmakers were elected uncontested in that election.
In 2015, on the first anniversary of the polls, violence erupted across the country centring rallies and counter rallies of the parties. The situation remained turbulent for weeks.
The BNP was also not granted permission to hold a rally then. Police kept BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia confined to her Gulshan office by blocking the streets with sand-laden trucks.
An angry Khaleda called for a countrywide nonstop blockade from January 6 in an attempt to topple the government. The blockade went on until the last week of March.
At least 95 people were killed and around 1,500 injured in arson attacks on public vehicles during the blockade.
- Courtesy: The Daily Star, Jan 06, 2018
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