Obstacles defied, BNP rally peaceful
The BNP rally in Khulna was largely peaceful with some incidents of vandalism and activists of the BNP and ruling Awami League chasing each other.
The tension was palpable in the air as groups of AL activists stood at the entrances to the city with sticks and sharp weapons throughout the day.
Besides, there was a transport strike on the roads and rivers for two days ahead of the event.
But thousands of BNP supporters still made it to the rally at Dak Bungalow intersection.
"You people made the impossible possible. I salute you," BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told the rally in the afternoon.
If the coming election were to be held under a caretaker administration, the Awami League would not even be able to win 10 seats in parliament, he said.
"People will not accept anything but a caretaker government. Why don't you [govt] want to accept this demand? Because you know that you will become nonexistent…," he said.
The AL has turned Bangladesh into hell just so that it can stay in power without people's votes, he said.
While the rally was still going on, the Khulna BNP office on KD Ghosh Road was set on fire allegedly by the ruling party men.
Meanwhile, bus and launch services resumed in the region soon after the rally ended in the evening.
At the event, BNP standing committee member Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina should answer why load-shedding "returned from the museum".
Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, another standing committee member, said over 200 BNP activists were arrested centring the rally.
BNP Vice-Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo said the anti-government movement had just started and it wouldn't stop until the AL government was ousted.
The event was chaired by Shafiqul Alam, convener of Khulna City BNP. An empty chair was kept on the stage for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
After the arson at the BNP office around 4:00pm, burnt furniture, a TV set, several chairs, tables, and documents were seen there.
Local AL leader and Panel Mayor Aminul Islam Munna said the arson attack was conducted by "attention-seeking BNP men playing the victim".
"All of us were home today," he told The Daily Star.
After local AL leaders publicly vowed on Friday to take action if the BNP tried to create chaos, many supporters of the opposition party expressed fear of attacks.
And in Goalkhali, Boyra, Fulbari Gate and Daulatpur areas BNP supporters were allegedly attacked by AL men yesterday, said the party leaders.
Ashlam Sheikh, an activist, said at least 10 men swooped on him and other BNP men in the Goalkhali area.
Around noon, police and a group of BNP leaders and activists clashed near Khulna Railway Station.
Witnesses said the clash happened when police tried to disperse a crowd of BNP leaders and activists.
Manik Sarkar, manager of the station, said glass doors, windows and the main gate of the station were broken during the clash that lasted for about half an hour.
Many BNP activists, who said they were prevented by ruling party activists from reaching the rally venue, spent the day roaming around the city.
The event started around 11:30am and ended in the evening.
The BNP activists started gathering at the venue the night before and spent the time chanting slogans and singing protest songs.
Several roads were decorated with banners and placards of the opposition party.
The main streets were filled with BNP supporters mostly from Kustia, Meherpur, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Jashore and Magura. A large number of law enforcers were also seen.
The meeting started at 11:30 am and continued till 4:30 pm with enthusiasm of party leaders and activists.
Similar rallies have been planned for other divisional cities ahead of the election expected to be held late next year or early 2024.
The suspension of public transport for two days and the rally yesterday caused sufferings to the general public. People in Khulna said they could not access the internet with mobile data for almost five hours after 1:30pm yesterday.
Around 8:30am, six female teachers were seen trying to travel across the Rupsha river to attend a training session. After failing to find a boatman, they started walking towards the Rupsa bridge 4km away.
As ferry services remained suspended, people were seen waiting haplessly at Jailkhana Ghat on the river, waiting for a way to travel across the river.
"I need to visit my sick daughter on the other side of the river. But the ferries and boats are not moving today," said Mizanur Rahman of Dumuria upazila.
This correspondent also met 10 construction workers stranded at Rupsa Ghat after arriving in Khulna by train from Panchagarh.
"We are requesting our contractor to help us out," said Mostafizur Rahman, one of the workers.
Sources at multiple mobile phone companies said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission directed them to suspend 3G and 4G services in Khulna city.
Contacted, BTRC Vice Chairman Subrata Roy Maitra said he was not aware of any such instruction given by the BTRC.
Telecom Minister Mustafa Jabbar said a technical glitch might have caused the internet disruption.
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