Rangpur rally amid transport hurdle: Skirting strike, many BNP men arrive early

BNP leaders and activists from seven northern districts started for Rangpur city as early as Thursday afternoon so that they could reach the city for today's rally before the start of a bus strike at 6:00am yesterday.

Thousands of party leaders and activists took buses, trucks, and trains from their respective districts to travel to the city.

After the buses were taken off the roads, party men began pouring into the city on trains, rickshaw vans, auto-rickshaws, motorcycles, and other modes of transport.

Many party men from Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, and Kurigram came to the city riding motorcycles.

Earlier, bus strikes were enforced in Mymensingh and Khulna ahead of the BNP's rallies there.

The opposition party is holding the rallies protesting the price hike of essentials and fuel, recent killings of five party men in police firing, and also demanding "release" of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

The BNP men, who have already reached Rangpur city, are staying at different places, including hotels and homes of their friends and relatives. Many are also staying under the open sky in fields.

Visiting three such places yesterday, The Daily Star found that more than 5,000 BNP men were staying in the city overnight.

Some 2,500 BNP men from Thakurgaon took shelter in some abandoned buildings and in a field in Baniapara area after reaching the city around midnight on Thursday. They were resting on floors covered with plastic sheets.

Nahidul Islam, 65, came from Thakurgaon's Haripur along with 200 others.

"We hired buses but those later refused to come. Then we started travelling by four trucks and reached Rangpur city at 3:00am today [yesterday]."

He said they had puffed rice in the morning and would have khichuri for lunch. "The food has been arranged by Thakurgaon BNP. We will have it together."

Nahidul said the more obstacles the government would put up, the more people would join the rally.

Sultanul Ferdous, vice president of Thakurgaon BNP, said they arranged food for 3,000 people.

Mentioning that more party activists would reach the city today, he hoped the rally would be a success.

About 1,000 more people were staying at a house of late BNP leader Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia.

Raihan Mia, a Jubo Dal leader from Panchagarh, said they hired three buses on October 14, but they refused come only a few hours before the planned start of the journey.

"Then we hired trucks and pick-ups in phases, but they all later declined. We started walking from Panchagarh. After walking for about an hour, we saw an empty bus. All of us boarded it and reached Rangpur around midnight on Thursday."

He said more party leaders and activists will reach Rangpur city this morning on some 300 motorcycles.

BNP activists from Thakurgaon left the district for Rangpur on Thursday midnight to join the rally.

Treasurer of Thakurgaon BNP, Md Shariful Islam, said 120 vehicles, including buses and trucks, carrying party men have left for Rangpur.

Visiting the Thakurgaon district BNP office in the town around midnight on Thursday, this newspaper found that many party activists carrying small bags gathered there.

Some vehicles were seen waiting nearby to take them to Rangpur.

BNP leaders, activists and supporters from Kurigram and Lalmonirhat started travelling towards Rangpur since Thursday afternoon by motorcycles, bicycles, and battery-run easy-bikes.

All trains travelling to Rangpur yesterday from Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, and Dinajpur were crowded, mostly with BNP men, said witnesses.

Lalmonirhat District BNP President Asadul Habib Dulu told The Daily Star that the bus strike was called to obstruct BNP men from joining today's rally.

AZM Zahid Hossain, vice chairman of BNP and also a coordinator of the rally, said people from all districts around Rangpur are now waiting to join the meeting.

He said, "The government used the leaders of the transport owners' platforms to enforce the strike."

Our correspondents in respective districts contributed to this report.