Police filed a case against nine BNP leaders and activists, including its executive committee member Ishraque Hossain, for attacking police at Jatrabari during the party’s Dhaka divisional rally on December 10. The case was filed Monday at Jatrabari police station following a complaint received from Nowsher Ali, Sub Inspector of Jatrabari police station. The case was filed under different sections of the Penal Code, 1860 and the Explosive Substances Act 1908. read more: Mirza Fakhrul, Abbas shown arrested in Paltan police station case: DB Chief According to the complaint, the accused obstructed police from performing their duty on the day by attacking with locally made arms, sticks, crude bombs at Golapbagh intersection at Jatrabari area. They attacked with attempt of murder and injured police members, vandalised police vehicles and parts of crude bombs were seized from the area. read more: Sabotage case: 7 including Jubo Dal leaders Tuku, Nayan remanded Other accused in the case are, Md Nabiullah Nabi, Senior Joint Convener of Dhaka South BNP, Pavel Shikder, Central Vice President of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, MD Jamshedul Alam Syamol, Joint Convener Md Jakir Hossain Ziku, former Joint Secretary of Dhaka South BNP Raisul Hasan Hobby, Shubho Hsan Babu, Md Kausar, Badal Sardar.

BNP has finally got the permission to hold the rally at Golapbagh ground in Dhalpur of the city tomorrow (Saturday) from Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). BNP vice chairman Dr AZM Zahid Hossain disclosed the matter to the media after a meeting with Chief of Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Harun Or Rashid on Friday noon. Earlier, a two-member BNP delegation consisting of AZM Zahid Hossain and law affairs secretary Kayser Kamal went to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) office to try to end the impasse over the party's December 10 rally in Dhaka. Read more: 205 BNP leaders, activists sued over crude bomb blasts in Barishal The DB chief also assured the delegation of ensuring security measures at the venue and asked to take preparations to hold the rally in Golapbagh ground, said AZM Zahid. The delegation wanted to hold the rally at Dhalpur ground or any other ground in Dhaka south city. So, Dhaka's divisional rally will to be held at Golapbagh ground tomorrow. Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas have been shown arrested in a case filed with Paltan police station over Wednesday’s clash that left one dead and several injured. “They have been arrested in the case filed under the Explosive Substance Act at Paltan police station on Thursday after questioning,” said Harun Or Rashid Chief of Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police at a press briefing in the capital Friday. To decide their next course of action regarding the detention of two top leaders of the party by detectives, the leaders of the BNP standing committee have sat for an online meeting that started at 11:40am. Read more: Police control of BNP office at Nayapaltan continues amid mounting tension Meanwhile, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, the most senior member of the BNP's standing committee, was scheduled to address a conference at the party chairperson's Gulshan office at 3pm, said Sayrul Kabir Khan, a BNP media cell member. BNP in the early hours on Friday claimed that plainclothes police picked up its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas from their homes in separate raids in the capital city. Earlier on Thursday night, a BNP delegation had a six-hour meeting with the DMP commissioner where they talked about holding the rally on Saturday (December 10) either at Kamalapur Stadium or Mirpur Bangla College ground. Later, Abbas with some BNP leaders visited the two venues. At that meeting, police authorities assured of reopening the BNP office at Nayapaltan. On Wednesday, a Swechchasebak Dal leader was killed and around 50 others were injured in a clash between police and the BNP activists in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office ahead of its December 10 rally. Following the clash, police raided the BNP office and arrested around 300 party leaders and activists from there.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said their party will undoubtedly hold a rally on December 10 in Dhaka to intensify the ongoing anti-government movement with fresh programmes. “No one should have any confusion about the December 10 programme as we must hold the rally on that day in Dhaka,” he said. Speaking at a seminar, the BNP leader also said the country’s people will dream afresh to get rid of misrule through this rally. “People will take to the streets more intensively with new action programmes from this rally to defeat the current monstrous regime,” he said. BNP arranged the seminar titled “Violence and Politics of Blaming” at a city hotel ahead of the party’s December 10 rally. Dr Shakhawat Hossain Sayantha presented the keynote paper at the programme while a documentary on violence during the current government was screened. Fakhrul said their party wants to establish a government of people by holding a credible national election under a non-party caretaker government. Read more: Will make Dhaka rally a success at any cost: Fakhrul The BNP leader also said the Awami League government must quit power and dissolve the parliament by handing over power to a caretaker government, paving the way for holding a locally and internationally accepted national election. Govt plotting to carry out arson violence Fakhrul said the Prime Minister staged a drama a few days back by holding a meeting with the victims of arson violence during the movement in 2014-15 and cried there to give people a wrong idea about the politics of blaming. The BNP leader said the PM’s such efforts raised BNP’s suspicion about her government’s plot to stop the ongoing spontaneous movement of people by carrying out arson violence. “We have got information from various sources that around 200 buses have been arranged to set on fire. We have also got some hints that some cadres of Chhatra League and Jubo League will be deployed at every ward and thana in the name of preventing violence. We’ve become alert about it,” he said. The BNP leader said the government is working to indulge in its old game of carrying out violence and blame BNP for those incidents. High time to resist govt Fakhrul said it is a proper time to put up a strong resistance against the current regime since people of Bangladesh have woken up. “This is not an elected regime, and it lacks people’s mandate. This regime has been carrying out a steamroller of repression and injustice.” He said over 600 BNP leaders and activists were the victims of enforced disappearance and over a thousand were killed while many others were maimed and repressed in various ways over the last 15 years. Read more: BNP ready to hold rally in Dhaka on December 10 braving all obstacles “People now want to get rid of the dreadful monstrous regime…we know it’s very tough for a democratic force to fight against a fascist regime. But we have to move forward with well-thought-out plans and strategy to carry out such a fight,” the BNP leader observed. He said around 40 lakh opposition leaders and activists up to the village level have been facing ‘false’ political cases. Fakhrul alleged that the government has siphoned off huge money abroad from the country very consciously, depleting the banks and indulging in looting from mega projects. He said though the country’s economy is suffering, the government is saying there is no economic crisis only to mislead people and thus prolong its power. Fakhrul said they are carrying out the movement together with people to restore democracy and the voting rights of people by ousting the current regime. He called upon people of all walks of life to come forward to protect the county and made it liveable one through necessary reforms after a credible election under a non-party caretaker government.

Awami League General Secretary and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Monday that people are afraid of BNP's rally as the party is the sponsor of militancy and communalism.  He made the remark after paying tribute to the leader when he visited the grave on the occasion of the 59th death anniversary of Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy on Monday. Read more: 'Smart Bangladesh': Quader reveals AL's slogan for next election BNP wants to hold its public rally in Dhaka’s Nayapaltan on December 10. But the government has given BNP permission to hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan. They will not be exempted if they cause disorder in the name of rally, he said. Quader said that under BNP’s rule elections were farce and Awami League activists were not allowed to stay at home with false cases. He said that obstacles have been created step by step in the development of democracy in Bangladesh. After Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina returned home in 1981, Shaheed Suhrawardy started fighting for democracy.  Read more: BNP won't be allowed to orchestrate violence surrounding December 10 rally: Quader "He traveled all over the country and campaigned for the values of the liberation war, for the ideal of liberation war and for democracy. He united the people and freed the shackles of democracy. Terming Hossain Suhrawardy as the son of democracy, the minister said that there is a mystery about the death of Suhrawardy. “We still do not know whether there is any conspiracy behind it or not,” he said.  

Though the country’s political landscape has become overheated with some opposition leaders’ fiery comments about the participation of Khaleda Zia in her party’s much-talked-about rally in the capital on December 10, BNP senior leaders say they never had any plan to take her to their programme. They also said their December-10 rally in the capital is similar to 9 other divisional programmes of BNP where party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will address as chief guest and announce the party’s next course of action. However, the party leaders are determined to hold the rally at Nayapaltan in front of their party headquarters instead of Suhrawardy Udyan. The BNP senior leaders said they want to hold the rally peacefully avoiding any type of chaos as they will initiate the second phase of the movement to realise their demand for a polls-time neutral government and the resignation of the government after the December-10 programme. “We don’t have any different plan about our Dhaka rally. It’s like other divisional rallies. I don’t know why the ruling party leaders and some media are talking about our chairperson’s participation in the rally. Our standing committee never discussed this issue and we never had any such plan,” said BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. Talking to UNB, he said they are moving ahead with a plan for a peaceful gathering to reach their desired goal. He said they will not give anyone any scope to divert their movement to a a different direction by creating any trouble. “We’ll neither fall into Awami League’s trap nor take any imprudent move.” Political mercury has started rising since Dhaka North City unit BNP convener Aman Ullah Aman at a programme on October 8 last announced that the country will run as per the directives of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman after December 10. Read more: If Khaleda joins BNP’s Dec 10 rally, court will take steps: Home Minister Two days later, BNP chairperson’s adviser Zainul Abedin Farroque said Khaleda will join the December -10 rally and later some other party low-tier leaders echoed Aman and Farroque. BNP senior leaders, however, said the remarks of Aman and Farroque about Khaleda are their personal opinions. Amid such speculation, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Wednesday warned that the court will take steps if Khaleda, who has been temporarily freed from jail on conditions, attends the party's December 10 rally in Dhaka. Law Minister Anisul Huq on Thursday at a programme in Narayanganj said Khaleda was freed suspending her sentence on conditions as her family submitted an application saying she was too sick to move. “If Khaleda Zia now joins BNP’s rally on December 10, then it’ll be proved that what was written in her family’s application was false,” he said. In the wake of Coronavirus outbreak, the government freed Khaleda from jail for six months through an executive order suspending her sentence on 25 March 2020. The government extended her conditional release from jail in the two corruption cases several times. The 76-year-old BNP chief has been staying at her Gulshan residence since her release from jail. BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities. The party has already held eight divisional rallies while the 9th rally will be held In Rajshahi on Saturday. The BNP will conclude the divisional rallies through a huge mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10. Though the party sought permission to hold the rally at Nayapaltan, the government has permitted it to hold the programme at Suhrawardy Udyan on 26 conditions. Contacted,  BNP’s Dhaka south city unit BNP convener Abdus Salam said Khaleda’s participation in the Dhaka rally is nothing but speculation by media and the ruling party leaders. “No one of our responsible leaders talked about it.” He said they are taking allout preparations to make the rally a success with the participation of lakhs of people. “It’ll surely be a peaceful programme. We’ll remain alert about all types of plots and provocations to foil our programme.” Read more: BNP divisional rally begins at packed Barishal venue BNP Publicity Secretary Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie said the ruling party leaders are making comments involving Khaleda with the rally as part of their political motive to mislead people. “Madam (Khaleda) remains under house arrest and she is very sick. We never said she would take part in our programme. But the government is playing a bad game over the issue” “We’ll also hold the rally in the capital peacefully and then return homes. We have no other plans.” During their meeting with Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun on Thursday, the BNP leader said they urged him to cooperate with BNP to hold the rally at Nayapaltan. “We're determined to hold the rally at Nayapaltan. We’ve no other plan about any venue.”

If BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia attends the party’s December 10 rally in Dhaka, court will take necessary steps, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said today (November 30, 2022). “Khaleda Zia is out of jail on condition, and if she joins the public rally, the court will take steps,” the minister said while speaking at an annual training programme of Bangladesh Police Women Network in Dhaka’s Rajarbagh area. Read more: DMP gives BNP 26 conditions for holding Dec 10 rally at Dhaka's Suhrawardy Udyan BNP received permission to hold their rally at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan on December 10 and the government has allowed them to conduct it smoothly, the home minister said, adding, “If they initiate any kind of violence, it will be a big mistake.” BNP initially sought permission to hold the rally at either Suhrawardy Udyan or Manik Mia Avenue. They got permission to hold the event at Suhrawardy Udyan as Manik Mia Avenue, where the National Parliament is located, is a restricted area, said the minister.