Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Haque has urged the BNP-led 20-party alliance to keep the upcoming Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations out of the hartal purview.
Addressing the political party members, he said: “Withdraw all political and violent programmes before the SSC exams or at least keep the exams out of the purview of your programmes.”
He came up with the suggestion while briefing the media at DMP headquarters about the security measures to be enforced during the SSC exams that scheduled to start on February 2.
But the BNP-led coalition does not have any plan to relax its ongoing movement during the exams if there is no sign of solution to the prevailing political crisis.
Meanwhile, it has declared to enforce a 72-hour general strike starting from Sunday, a day ahead on the exams.
He said: “As a common people and a father, I am personally urging the political party members to stop the ongoing subversive activities before the SSC and equivalent examinations.”
Regarding the security measures taken by the DMP, he said: “Students will be provided with police security during agitation programmes if required, in order to allow them to sit their board-level examinations.”
“We will arrange the highest security for the examinees.”
Replying to the queries of the journalists, he said: “The police will bring all anarchists under trial, if the people of the country help us.”
Earlier, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has called upon the BNP-led 20-party alliance to withdraw the ongoing nationwide blockade before the SSC and equivalent examinations for the sake of future of the children.
Around 1,479,266 examinees from 27,808 educational institutions across the country are expected to sit for the exams.
Moreover, a total of 297 overseas students will also sit for the exams in eight overseas centres.
The BNP-led 20-party alliance has been observing countrywide roads and waterways blockade for indefinite period since January 5.
The blockade has been called in protest against the confinement of the party chief Khaleda Zia.
Khaleda Zia has been kept confined to her Gulshan party office since January 3 ahead of a party rally, marking “Democracy Killing Day.”
On January 12, the security was relaxed.
But Khaleda never came out; instead she said in a press conference that she was going to stay there and the blockade would continue unless the government took the first steps towards solution.
The relaxed blockade is underway across the country amid sporadic incidents of violence, arson attacks, vandalism and arrests of BNP members.