Police cordon off BNP’s Rajshahi office

Police have cordoned off Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) Rajshahi office located adjacent to the city's Bhuban Mohan Park.

Reportedly, BNP leaders and activists are not being allowed to enter the office which has been locked since Tuesday morning.  

Mizanur Rahman Minu, an adviser to the BNP chairperson, claimed that police have sealed the party's metropolitan office and closed off the are to bar BNP men from nearing the office.

"Today, we had a pre-announced march programme to press home our demands - including elections under a neutral caretaker government, the release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and affordable daily necessities. But the police have locked our Rajshahi office forcing us to divide our programme into six points of the city.

Defying the claim, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) Additional Commissioner Bijoy Basak said police have surrounded the BNP office since morning but it's the BNP leaders who have locked the office.

"Based on intelligence information, we have come to know that BNP activists may carry out sabotage. In order to ensure public safety and avoid any untoward situation, we have enclosed the Rajshahi metropolitan office of BNP."

BNP's protest rally, which was scheduled for Tuesday at 11am in front of Bhuban Mohan Park, did not take place as leaders and activists of the party faced police obstacles when they tried to come to the party office separately.  

Meanwhile, the RMP in a notification banned all kinds of rally or protest programmes in the city on 23 March.

It said, "In view of the announcement of the upcoming schedule of Rajshahi City Corporation Election 2023, it is necessary to maintain the law and order situation in the city. Any kind of unauthorised rally during this time may jeopardise the law and order situation in Rajshahi metropolis. Therefore, RMP Police Commissioner has declared a ban on all kinds of demonstrations in the city as per the section-30 of the Rajshahi Metropolitan Act, 1992,"

Apart from the city's Malopara area where the BNP office is located, police were seen patrolling the city Saheb Bazar Zero Point as well. No one was allowed to enter Saheb Bazar area with vehicles.