Amid a tense situation and speculations over BNP’s December 10 rally, the party’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said they will hold their rally at Nayapaltan on December 10 as planned earlier.
He announced the decision at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office this afternoon.
BNP announced the decision a day after a fierce clash between their party activists and police in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office yesterday left one person dead and many injured.
“Wait and see what happens in Dhaka, people have started to wake up,” he said while responding to a question from reporters.
“It is the government’s responsibility to ensure the rally is held peacefully. We will consider if the government offers a suitable alternative venue,” he said.
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He also demanded that the government reopen the BNP office and withdraw police from the area immediately.
He said their new action programme will be announced next week to realise their demands, including the resignation of the government, dissolution of the parliament, and reestablishment of the caretaker government.
“Police attacked BNP leaders and activists without any provocation. Such a cowardly attack is unimaginable. Police unwarrantedly entered BNP office with bombs in a bag,” said Fakhrul.
He said Wednesday’s police attack was tantamount to putting the last nail in the coffin of democracy.
Police vandalised furniture and valuables of the office and took away important documents of the party, he alleged.
Read more: BNP will hold Dec 10 rally at Nayapaltan, Fakhrul says
He said that policemen kept the bombs in the office and staged the drama. “Then police claimed they recovered explosives from BNP office and declared the area a ‘crime scene’.”
He said their party sought permission for holding the rally at Nayapaltan, but police gave permission to hold it at Suhrawardy Udyan which was not acceptable to BNP. DMP commissioner phoned BNP leader Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie to talk about an alternative venue, but he was arrested, said Fakhrul.