AL, BNP get permission to hold rallies in Dhaka, Ctg [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

AL, BNP get permission to hold rallies in Dhaka, Ctg

Local January 05, 2016

Both the ruling Awami League and opposition BNP on Monday got conditional permission from the authorities concerned to hold their rallies in front of their respective central party offices in the capital today.
The local units of both the parties are also scheduled for today to hold rallies at their localities including port city Chittagong to mark the second anniversary of the January 5 elections boycotted by all opposition parties.
The Dhaka South City Corporation gave permission to Awami League to hold its rally at Bangabandhu Avenue and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to hold its rally at Naya Paltan.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police also allowed both the parties to hold their rallies today and using of public announcement system at the rallies on some conditions.
AL celebrates the day as ‘victory day for democracy’ claiming that the January 5, 2014 general elections helped protecting the country’s democracy and upholding the continuity of constitutional process.
The BNP observes the day as ‘democracy killing day’ alleging that the country’s democratic process was destroyed by the January 5 elections, in which 153 lawmakers were elected unopposed amidst boycott by all opposition parties.
DMP deputy commissioner (media) Md Maruf Hossain Sordar said that both AL and BNP were given permission on some conditions to hold their rallies.
He said that as per the conditions, roads leading to the rally venues must not be blockaded and vehicular movement on the roads must not be obstructed.
Maruf said that both the parties were asked to conclude their rallies by sunset, not to bring out any processions with sticks before and after the rallies and not to carry any lethal weapons with them at the rallies.
Both the parties on Sunday opted for alternative venue if they were denied permission from the police to hold rallies at Suhrawardy Udyan today.
Tension heated up in the political arena as BNP and Awami League on Saturday sought permission from the police to hold rally at Suhrawardy Udyan today.
Dhaka south city mayor Sayeed Khokon at a briefing at Nagar Bhaban on Monday said that they generally discouraged street rallies to avoid sufferings of people.
‘But, we have allowed the Awami League and the BNP to use Bangabandhu Avenue and Naya Paltan road respectively to hold their rallies as an embarrassing situation has been created over seeking permission to hold rallies at Suhrawardy Udyan by both the parties,’ he said.
The Awami League changed its previous plan to hold rallies at 17 other venues in the city today.
The ruling party on Monday said that it would hold rallies at Bangabandhu Avenue and in front of Bangabandhu Bhaban at Dhanmondi 32.
Dhaka city Awami League in an extended meeting at the party’s central office on Bangabandhu Avenue threatened that BNP would face dire consequences if it tried to create any anarchy in the name of its rally.
BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a briefing at the party’s central office said that they would hold a peaceful rally at Naya Paltan from 2:00pm today.
He said that party chairperson Khaleda Zia would address the rally.
New Age correspondent in Chittagong reported that AL and BNP obtained conditional permission from Chittagong Metropolitan Police to hold rallies in the port city Chittagong today.
CMP additional commissioner (crime and operation) Debdas Bhattacharya said, ‘AL was given permission to hold rally in front of Central Shaheed Minar while BNP would hold rally inside its Nasiman Bhaban office at Kazir Dewri in the city.’