BNP to stage demo in Dhaka tomorrow

BNP will stage demonstrations in all wards of Dhaka city tomorrow protesting denial of permission to it for holding rally at Suhrawardy Udyan marking what it calls “Democracy Killing Day” today.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programme at a press conference at BNP's Nayapaltan office in the capital today.

"It has been proved once again with the obstruction to BNP's rally that Awami League is a party that kills democracy," UNB quoted Rizvi as saying.

Rizvi said the government did not allow BNP to hold the rally as part of its scorched-earth policy to hush up the 'controversial and stigmatised' national election held on January 5, 2014, UNB adds.

Rizvi criticised the government for denying their party the permission to arrange the rally while the ruling party has been given permission to hold two rallies in the capital.

He also alleged that law enforcers are obstructing their party's black flag processions at different parts of the country, including Gazipur, Mymensingh, Khulna, and Chittagong, UNB reports.

Huge law enforcers have been deployed in and around BNP's Nayapaltan central office since morning to avoid any untoward incident.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police yesterday denied the BNP permission for holding the rally today, the fourth anniversary of the 2014 parliamentary election which the party boycotted.

On Monday, BNP announced to hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital and bring out black flag processions across the country on January 5 to observe the day as 'Democracy Killing Day' to register its protest against 10th parliamentary elections held on that day in 2014.

Awami League is also marking the day as 'Victory Day for Democracy' holding two separate rallies on Banani ground and Bangabandhu Avenue, apart from “gala” celebrations across the country.

The last parliamentary election was held on January 5, 2014, amid controversy as the BNP, main opposition in the immediate past parliament, and most other political parties boycotted the polls terming it “farcical and one-sided”. At least 153 lawmakers were elected uncontested in the 10th parliament.

In 2015, on the first anniversary of the day, violence erupted across the country centring rally and counter rally of the parties. The situation remained turbulent for weeks.

The BNP was not granted permission for its rally then. Police kept BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia confined to her Gulshan office by blocking the streets in front of her office with sand-laden trucks.

Only the ruling AL men were on the streets, celebrating the day as "Victory Day for Democracy".

An angry Khaleda called for a countrywide non-stop blockade from January 6 to topple the government. The blockade went on until the last week of March.

At least 95 people were killed and about 1,500 injured in arson attacks on public transports during the blockade. Most of them were ordinary citizens. Another 45 got killed in "shootouts" with law enforcement agencies. About half of them were allegedly involved in the arson attacks.