The BNP has announced a countrywide demonstration programme for Sunday, protesting ‘the government’s undemocratic attitude’ as permission for its Saturday rally Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Uddya has been denied.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir declared the protest programme at a press conference at its Nayapaltan central office on Saturday.
“We didn’t cancel our rally. We’ve been prevented from holding it. We strongly protest and condemn the government’s autocratic attitude,” he said.Fakhrul said they will stage demonstrations in all cities, including Dhaka, and district towns to register their protest for denial of permission for the rally.
In Dhaka city, the BNP leader said every thana unit of the city BNP will stage demonstrations in their respective areas.
He urged the people from all walks of life to spontaneously observe their programme for protecting democracy.
BNP was scheduled to hold a rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday afternoon marking the ‘National Revolution and Solidarity Day’. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was supposed to address the rally.
Earlier on October 29, BNP sought permission from Public Works Department (PWD) for holding the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan and from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police office for using the loudspeakers at the rally. However, the authorities denied the permission for the rally.
DMP authorities said they would allow BNP to hold an indoor rally in the city if the party wanted to do so.
At the press conference, Fakhrul said the government has closed all the spaces for democratic practice in the country. “Now there’s no democracy in the country. Democracy has now been crushed under police boots.”
BNP Dhaka city unit convener Mirza Abbas urged the government to refrain from obstructing their peaceful democratic programmes.
“If you continue to block our democratic and peaceful programmes one after another in the same fashion, we’ll be forced to cross the barrier someday,” he said.
Abbas, also a BNP standing committee member, hoped that the government will not resist any of their peaceful programme in the days to come. – UNB
