BNP's Aminbazar rally postponed, police on alert
Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) pre-announced protest rally in Aminbazar to press home their demand for the government's resignation has been postponed after the police denied them permisiion.
"We have postponed our rally today. We have a meeting at 3 pm, the next date of assembly will be decided in the meeting. The rally could be held tomorrow or on the 28th," Khandaker Abu Ashfaq, Dhaka district BNP president, told The Business Standard (TBS) on Monday (25 September.)
Regarding the demolition of the stage, Khandaker Abu Ashfaq told TBS, "We have decided the date of this rally 4 days in advance. Verbal permission was also taken from the police for the rally. Now the police have told us to choose another place. Police demolished our stage at around 2 o'clock last night. They could have told us, we would have moved it. Why will the police break it?"
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Stating that party activists had already reached the rally venue, the BNP leader said, "Now suddenly choosing a new place is difficult. Anyway, we adjourned our rally today, further decisions will be taken in the afternoon meeting".
Visiting the rally venue on Monday morning, no sign of a stage was visible except for a few benches in the small field.
Locals said that the people of BNP activists till late last night to prepare the stage.
On the other hand, the presence of a large number of police including senior officials of the district police has been observed at the rally site since morning.
Regarding the allegation of vandalism against the police, Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Ops) of Dhaka District Police Abdullahel Kafi said, "The allegation against the police of demolishing of BNP's platform is ridiculous."
He said, BNP didn't get any permission for the rally.
"Moreover, Awami League also announced to hold a rally at the same place. We have a sufficient number of additional police deployed here to avoid any untoward incident if the two sides face off", he added.
According to the previous announcement, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Begum Selima Rahman, members of the party's standing committee, were supposed to attend the BNP rally in Amibazar on Monday.
