Five hours of pandemonium in the capital

The five-hour sit-in programmes of the opposition BNP at the entry points of Dhaka on Saturday ended in violent clashes with police, alongside incidents of vandalism and arson.

A total of 90 BNP leaders and activists have been arrested so far and scores injured.

The AL, which had also announced similar programmes, withdrew after the Dhaka Metropolitan Police announced last night that no permission would be granted for any sit-in programmes.

The lack of a permission did little to deter the BNP.

At a rally on Friday, the party's Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas said the BNP would no longer seek police permission for holding political programmes.

Early in the morning today, BNP leaders and activists began gathering at various points of Dhaka, with clashes breaking out at Jatrabari, Gabtoli and Dholaikhal.

The gatherings spurred police action.

BNP Dhaka Metropolitan North Convener Amanullah Aman and 30 other BNP men were detained from Gabtoli by police, after they clashed.

Afterwards, Aman was taken to the National Heart Institute, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent a delegation, led by  Assistant Private Secretary-2 Gazi Hafizur Rahman Liku, to visit him.  

Elsewhere, another 7-8 BNP men, including the party's senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy who was injured during a police charge, were detained from Jatrabari.

However, Gayeshwar was released hours after his detention.

Incidents of arson began to trickle in around the afternoon.

A police van was set on fire in the capital's Shyamoli area and three passenger buses were set ablaze in Matuail.

At least seven policemen, including a Joint Commissioner of Police Mehedi Hasan, were injured in a clash between the BNP activists and police in Matuail, Deputy Commissioner (media) Faruq Hossain told The Business Standard.

Besides the police van, several other vehicles were torched and vandalised in Shyamoli.

Police also arrested several other BNP men from Gabtoli SA Khaleque Bus Station, the place where the party was scheduled to hold a sit-in programme.

The BNP is intensifying its movement to oust the Awami League government and to press home the party's demand for election under a non-partisan government ahead of the national elections.

The Awami League, on the other hand, vowed to counter the opposition movement at any cost.

Sit-ins amid police ban

Amid the growing fear of violence and confrontation, Dhaka Metropolitan Police said it will not allow BNP and Awami League to hold such programmes at the entry points of the capital considering the intelligence reports of deteriorating law and order and public suffering.

A huge number of law enforcers were deployed at the key entry points of Dhaka.

Visiting Uttara BNS Centre, Gabtoli's SA Khalek Bus Station, Nayabaza and Jatrabari it was seen that several hundred members of the police and Ansars took positions there. They are not allowing anyone to gather in the areas.

Some BNP men tried to converge on Gabtoli but police obstructed them.

Following the DMP's moves, the ruling party withdrew its decision to hold rallies, but they remained alert on the streets.  

Members of the ruling Awami League and its associate organisations also gathered at the entry points to the city although the DMP denied permission to all political programmes on Saturday.