Restrict movement during the 10-day state programme: IGP requests city-dwellers
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed has requested people to restrict their movement "unless urgent" during the 10-day state programme from March 17 to 26 to mark the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of independence.
He was speaking as the chief guest at a scholarship awarding ceremony organised by the Bangladesh Police Service Association at the Rajarbagh Police Auditorium in the capital today.
Making the request to the city dwellers, the IGP said the heads of state of five countries would come to Bangladesh to celebrate the birth centenary and the golden jubilee of independence.
It is our state responsibility to provide security to VVIPs and it is being requested to restrict the movement during the celebration if there is not much need, said the police chief.
The IGP also requested political parties not to hold any program for these few days.
In the ceremony, Benazir Ahmed handed over scholarship to 124 children of police families in different categories.
Addressing the students, the police chief said, "Islam never supports militancy. Militancy is the enemy of Islam. Most Muslims have been persecuted at their (militant's) hands… Students must stay away from militancy."
Mahbubur Rahman, deputy inspector general of Industrial Police, also the vice president of Bangladesh Police Service Association, presided over the ceremony.
Moniur Rahman Chowdhury, additional inspector general of police (admin and operations), Krishno Pada Roy, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Mohammad Jayedul Alam, superintendent of police of Narayanganj, also spoke at the ceremony, among others.
BNP seeks withdrawal of 'restriction on political programmes'
BNP today demanded the withdrawal of the instruction of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on avoiding political programmes between March 17 and March 26 on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Independence, UNB reported.
"The acting DMP commissioner's instruction (on political programmes) has surprised us! Our programmes have no confrontation with the government's ones," said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Speaking at a press conference at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office, he said, "We urge (DMP) to withdraw its instruction and not to create any obstacle to the Golden Jubilee programmes of political parties and social organisations."
On Sunday, DMP Acting Commissioner Monirul Islam urged all political parties and socio-cultural groups to withdraw their scheduled programmes between March 17 and March 26.
He also warned that it will be considered as an "anti-state" move if any political party and organisation tries to hold any programme during the period ignoring the instruction.
Fakhrul sought an explanation from the DMP acting commissioner about how the Golden Jubilee celebration programmes by political parties can be "anti-state" ones.
"We can't understand how they (govt) think no one, except them, can celebrate the Golden Jubilee," Fakhrul said.
Mentioning that it is obvious that there would be state programmes to celebrate the event with the presence of the foreign guests, he said, "We'll definitely extend cooperation as much as possible in this regard."
Fakhrul also announced that their party's rally scheduled to be held on Tuesday in the Dhaka South City Corporation area has been postponed due to police obstruction and the illness of Ishraq Hossain, BNP's defeated mayoral candidate in DSCC election.