The BNP has alleged that an “undeclared” transportation strike was imposed in Mymensingh division ahead of the party’s anti-government rally on Saturday.
BNP Organizing Secretary Syed Imran Saleh Prince told UNB that such a strike was orchestrated by the authorities to prevent the BNP activists and leaders from joining the rally on Saturday afternoon on the premises of Polytechnic Institute in Mymensingh.
He said party activists from different districts, including Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrakona and Kishoreganj, faced challenges joining the rally as bus services have remained suspended on inter-district routes “at the behest of the government” since morning.
But bus operators said many of them suspended their operations fearing damage to their vehicles as such things happened during a recent BNP rally in Chittagong.
“Our leaders and activists are still coming to the rally by walking or by motorcycles, personal cars or other smaller vehicles. Many private vehicles that were hired earlier to come to Mymensingh suddenly declined to carry our people, giving an excuse of safety,” Prince told UNB.
As part of the BNP’s planned divisional rallies, the party’s Mymensingh city unit arranged the rally that was supposed to formally begin at 2pm. It is the party’s second divisional rally; the first one was held in Chittagong on October 12.
Mahbubur Rahman, general secretary of Mymensingh District Motor Owners Association, told UNB that the vehicle owners stopped the transport service on safety grounds as many vehicles were vandalized during the BNP’s rally in Chittagong.
Masum Ahmed Bhuyan, superintendent of Mymensingh police, said they took adequate security measures to maintain law and order and fend off any untoward incidents.
On September 27, the BNP announced to hold rallies in 10 cities, to protest against the ongoing power crisis, unusual price hikes in daily essentials, and the killing of five opposition party activists in police firing in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Jessore during anti-government protests by the party.
The party will conclude the divisional rallies through a huge gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.