BNP postpones today's Aminbazar rally

BNP has postponed today's rally in Aminbazar, alleging that law enforcers and ruling party activists vandalised the stage set up at the venue.

Abu Ashfaque, convener of Dhaka district BNP, confirmed the development to The Daily Star.

BNP had planned to hold the rally from 3:00pm today, as part of their 15-day programme to press home their demand for holding the election under a non-partisan caretaker government.

Photo: Star

Golam Mostafa, general secretary of BNP's Savar thana unit, said Awami League men and police vandalised the stage at night.

Ashfaque said, "We went to the office of the superintendent of police in the morning. He [SP] told us that Awami League men also wanted to hold a rally at the same venue, so they [police] will not allow us to do the programme [there]."

"We obtained permission to hold the rally four days ago. But our stage has been vandalised, so we have called a meeting at the party office in Dhaka around 3:00pm today.

"We may hold the programme tomorrow or on September 28," he added.

Some locals, who ran shops near the area where BNP had set up the stage last night, told our Savar correspondent that around 4:00am, several police personnel broke down the stage with an excavator, and took away the stage materials.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Ops) of Dhaka District Police Abdullahel Kafi said the allegation against the police of vandalising the BNP stage was not true. He also said there was no permission for BNP's rally.

"Also, AL announced to hold a rally at the same place today. So we have deployed additional police in the area to avoid any untoward incident," he added.

Additional police personnel were seen at the BNP rally venue but no Awami League leaders and activists were seen there, our correspondent reported.