Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Tuesday permitted BNP to hold its rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital on December 10.
BNP, hoverer, is still determined to hold the rally at Nayapaltan instead of Suhrawardy Udyan.
The DMP issued a notification, signed by Deputy Police Commissioner (Headquarters and Admin) Abdul Momen, allowing the party to arrange the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan.
It said DMP gave BNP permission based on the conditions to hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan instead of Nayapaltan to avoid traffic jam and public suffering.
BNP can hold the rally at the venue from 12pm to 4:30 pm on December 10, according to the notification.
As per the conditions, BNP must seek permission from the other authorities concerned for using the venue, all the activities of the programme have to be limited to inside the venue, the rally must completed by the stipulated time schedule and the party leaders and activists will be allowed to gather at the venue just two hours before the start of the programme and no anti-state activities can be carried and no such statements can be made at the rally venue.
Besides, no propaganda or leaflets distribution will be allowed. and no procession can be brought out from the venue.
All the security measures, including installing CCTV cameras, vehicle scanners and metal detectors at the venue, should be taken by the party itself while adequate number of volunteers (with visible ID cards) should be deployed at the venue on the party’s own management.
The DMP also said the party will be responsible if the law and order situation deteriorates at the rally venue.
If BNP fails to comply with any of the conditions, this permission will be cancelled immediately, DMP said in the notification.
Contacted, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said they received the DMP's letter regarding the permission. “But we’ll arrange the rally in front of our party office at Nayapaltan.”
BNP publicity affairs secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anne told UNB that their party did not seek permission to hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan.
“We sought permission to hold the rally at Nayapaltan, not at Suhrawardy Udyan. Our party is determined to hold the rally at Nayapaltan as per our previous decision,” he said.
Anne, however, said BNP standing committee will take final decision in this regard after considering the overall situation.
Earlier on November 15, a delegation met Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq and sought permission to hold their much-talked-about rally in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office in the capital on December 10.
The DMP Commissioner, however, asked BNP to give the name of any other alternative venue.
As part of the move to continue the pace of its ongoing movement, the BNP on September 27 announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities to denounce the price hike of daily essentials and fuels, the death of five party men in previous police action in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Jashore, and to ensure the freedom of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The party has already arranged rallies in Chattogram, Mymensingh, Khulna, Rangpur, Barishal, Faridpur, Sylhet and Cumilla braving various obstacles and transport strikes.
BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government — a demand sharply rejected by the ruling Awami League as the constitution does not allow it to happen.
BNP will conclude the divisional rallies through a mass gathering in Dhaka city on December 10, coinciding with International Human Rights day.
