After holding a meeting for two hours with Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Khondker Golam Faruk on Thursday night, BNP leaders are yet to decide where they will hold their upcoming divisional rally in Dhaka—Kamlapur Stadium or Mirpur Bangla College Ground. After the meeting, BNP Vice President Barkat Ullah Bulu told UNB that they were going to visit the two venues and will finalise their decision about holding the rally in any of the venues in consultation with their party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and the standing committee members. Read: Nayapaltan clash: 445 BNP activists including Rizvi, Annie sent to jail, 2 get bail “We’re now going to visit the two venues and if we can choose any one of them then we’ll talk to our party senior leaders,” Bulu said. Bulu said that they also discussed with DMP authorities about Wednesday’s police action, raid at their party office and arrest of their party leaders and activists. “We told them (DMP officials) to reopen our office and they (Police) said that the office will be reopened and BNP leaders and activists can go there,” Bulu added. The BNP leader further said that they raised the issue of the release of their arrested party leaders during the meeting. In return, DMP officials said that two of the arrested leaders have already received bail and police won’t file remand prayers against the rest and the arrested BNP leaders may get bail soon. Earlier, a six-member BNP delegation led by Bulu went to the DMP Commissioner’s office and held the meeting. The BNP delegation included Advocate AJ Mohammad Ali, Advocate Ahmed Azam Khan, Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain and Barrister Kaysar Kamal. Read: No rally to be allowed on streets: Home Minister On Wednesday, police fired teargas and used batons during a clash with BNP activists at Nayapalton, leaving a man dead and 50 others injured. Police arrested over 150 BNP leaders and activists including BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, its south city unit convenor Abdus Salam, joint secretary general Khairul Kabir Khokon,  north city unit convener Amanullah Aman after conducting  a drive in the BNP office. The clash broke out around 3 pm when slogan-chanting BNP leaders and activists took position outside the party office and defied police order to leave the place, witnesses said.

BNP has said that they will hold their December 10 rally in front of their party office in Nayapaltan if the government doesn’t come up with an alternative venue. Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) standing committee member Mirza Abbas said this at a press conference held at the party’s central office at Nayapaltan on Wednesday noon. “Our rally will be peaceful. We’ve chosen Nayapaltan for our programme, now the government has to suggest an alternative and acceptable venue. If the government can’t provide a suitable venue, we’ll carry out our rally at our chosen place, no matter what happens,” said Abbas. Replying to a question, Abbas said they expect that police will be neutral while performing their duties. Read: BNP activists in Khulna say police carrying out mass arrests “They say that our program will cause public suffering. But the road in front of Awami League’s central office in Gulistan and road no 32 in Dhanmondi have been blocked for the last 20 years. Aren’t the people of these areas suffering due to the blockade?” added Abbas. Abbas further said that the Awami League leaders are in fear of losing power as they’re using the law enforcement agencies for conducting drives at the houses of BNP leaders and activists and arresting them without any valid reason. BNP’s Publicity Secretary Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said that they want Motijheel Ideal School and College premises to be the alternative venue for their rally. Read: Nothing to be worried about BNP’s Dec 10 rally, says Momen “We attended a meeting with police today at 2:00pm when we have reiterated that we want our rally to be held either at Nayapaltan or the Ideal School premises. We’re currently waiting for a response from police,” said Anee.

Two devotees died at the Ijtema venue in Tongi here on Thursday night and early Friday.