A hopeful prospect
"We discussed the two possible venues and they were okay with both. They will visit… and so will we. One of the grounds is likely to be fixed for the rally."
In a welcome development, the BNP and Dhaka Metropolitan Police last night seemed to have considerably bridged their differences over the venue for the opposition party's December 10 rally.
The BNP said it may now hold the rally either at Bir Shrestha Shaheed Sipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in the capital's Kamalapur or on the Government Bangla College premises in Mirpur.
The two sides held a two-hour meeting at the DMP Headquarters as the city remained tense following Wednesday's clash in Nayapaltan that left one dead and scores of others injured.
"We demanded Kamalapur stadium as the rally venue. They [DMP] proposed Mirpur Bangla College ground," BNP Vice Chairman Barkatullah Bulu told reporters after the meeting, adding that the party will pick either of the two.
He and other BNP leaders later visited Kamalapur stadium and Bangla College to weigh the pros and cons of the places.
The BNP standing committee held a virtual meeting with the party's acting chairman Tarique Rahman to inform him about the situation, sources said, adding that Tarique was also briefed about different aspects of the two possible venues.
Bulu and other BNP leaders then met Mirza Abbas at his residence, and the latter said the decision will be made after further discussions with the standing committee and the city committees.
After the meeting with the BNP delegation, Harun or Rashid, additional commissioner of DMP, said, "We discussed the two possible venues and they were okay with either. They will visit … and so will we. One of the grounds is likely to be fixed for the rally.
"A decision will be made tonight or tomorrow [this] morning. We will help the BNP organise the event with adequate security."
Talking to this newspaper, DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq said, "They [BNP] have placed their proposals and we have given ours."
One of the top officers present at the meeting told The Daily Star that the BNP delegates made phone calls to other leaders during the meeting.
"One of them left the room and updated BNP acting chairperson Tarique Rahman about the meeting over the phone," said the officer, wishing not to be named.
The rally in the capital became uncertain as the authorities and the opposition party could not agree on the venue for days.
Hours before the meeting with DMP, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir reiterated that the party would hold the rally at Nayapaltan unless the police offered an acceptable alternative.
At an event, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said, "No more gatherings will be allowed on the streets. No more blocking the roads and causing public sufferings. We will also not do such things. The venue for Friday's [today] Dhaka City Awami League rally was the south gate of the stadium. I asked them to hold the rally at Natya Mancha."
Meanwhile, the city remained tense after Wednesday's violent clash, and the usual Thursday traffic was not to be seen on most roads.
More than 2,300 BNP leaders and activists have been accused in the three cases filed with Paltan, Motijheel, and Shahjahanpur police stations. Of them, 553 were named and 1,750 unnamed. The DMP in a statement said 47 cops were injured in the clash.
The VIP Road in front of the BNP office in Nayapaltan remained almost empty as police diverted traffic at Fakirapool and Bijoynagar. Police didn't allow anyone to enter the area without checking their identity cards.
The road was opened to traffic around 4:30pm.
There has been a dip in the number of people travelling in long-haul buses departing from the Gabtoli terminal because of what transport associations said was a fear of further violence ahead of the December 10 rally.
Asked, Mahbubur Rahman, organising secretary of Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association, said many bus owners kept their vehicles off the roads fearing vandalism.
Police stopped and searched hundreds of motorcycles and other vehicles entering the capital yesterday.
Fakhrul, who was not allowed to enter the BNP office in the morning, told reporters, "Wait and see what happens in Dhaka. People have started to wake up."
He demanded that the government reopen the BNP office and withdraw police from Nayapaltan.
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