The law enforcement agencies have taken a hard stance in response to the mass rally planned by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies.
The rally, which was scheduled to be held on Thursday, will now take place on Friday at Nayapaltan after Jummah prayer, announced BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday.
The announcement came following the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) suggestion to choose a new venue instead of Suhrawardy Udyan and Nayapaltan to hold their planned rally and to move it to any Golapbagh ground or any other field as Thursday is a working day.
However, police presence has already been heightened since Wednesday, anticipating a huge gathering at the rally.
BNP rally at Naya Paltan Dhaka TribunePolice personnel have been stationed outside the BNP's central office in Nayapaltan.
Additionally, they have started a crackdown on BNP leaders and activists, detaining them in relation to both new and old cases.
At least a hundred BNP leaders and activists from various police stations in the Dhaka Metropolitan area were detained and subsequently sent to jail via court on Tuesday.
Sources from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have revealed that orders came from the top to maintain a firm stance around the BNP rally, with the intention of preventing anyone from causing any sort of disorder.
Consequently, the police started their preparations, deploying a huge number of police members in front of the BNP's office in Nayapaltan.
Motijheel Division Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner Hayatun Nabi said: “We have increased police deployment in the Paltan region as part of our standard operational procedure. Given the call for a demonstration, we have taken advanced measures to ensure the maintenance of order in the Paltan vicinity.”
However, several sources have reported growing anxiety within the ruling government due to the significant attendance of BNP and alliance party leaders and activists at previous rallies.
This has led to a decision to deny the BNP further permission to hold rallies, meetings, or any other forms of political gathering in the central areas of Dhaka city.
Proactive measures are being implemented to limit the size of the crowd at the Friday rally as well.
Certain well-informed sources have further informed that, even in the absence of a specific campaign targeting the arrest of BNP's top leaders, influential figures with significant follower bases at the ward and police station levels are being taken into custody.
Since Wednesday night, additional operations have been carried out in and around Dhaka, and as the sources disclosed, checkpoints will certainly be re-established at Dhaka's entry points for thorough inspections, mirroring preparations from previous rallies.
Several BNP leaders detained
According to sources, on Wednesday, the Wari police station in the capital arrested three leaders of BNP following a case filed on November 23 last year.
The three arrested individuals, named Alauddin, Nizamuddin, and Riyadh Ahmed Raju, are BNP's ward-level leaders under Wari police station.
Additionally, on Tuesday, the Pallabi police station apprehended six leaders from the BNP and its affiliate organizations over a case filed on September 18 last year.
The Pallabi police station also arrested two BNP leaders, named Makbul Box and Mamunur Rashid Akand, from the Khilgaon area, and presented them before the court in a case filed on December 9 last year.
Furthermore, the police also detained Ibrahim Haki, a former office secretary of the Khilgaon Thana Jubo League, and presented him in court, citing his arrest in a case filed on May 26, 2022.
Court sources reported that the Shahjahanpur police station sent three BNP leaders to court following their arrest in old and new cases, while the Darus Salam police station sent five people.
Police have made arrests and sent BNP leaders and activists to court from nearly all of the 50 police stations in Dhaka, the court sources added.
Regarding the mass detention of BNP leaders, Motijheel Division Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner Hayatun Nabi said: “These are part of regular activities by the local police. Fugitives in old cases are always arrested. This is not a particular campaign.”
Heightened surveillance over potential violence
An officer in charge from the Detective Branch of DMP revealed that they had information suggesting that a third party could instigate violence centred around the BNP rally.
Members of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Shibir, in particular, are under close watch, the officer added.
Recently, a cocktail was thrown from a flyover in the Moghbazar area. As a result, any areas where Jamaat-Shibir could potentially organize sudden processions are being specially monitored.
Detectives in plain clothes will be on high alert in these areas from the night.
Recently, the BNP has been staging successive political programs pressing home their one-point demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to pave the way for holding the next national election under a neutral government.
Alongside the BNP's agenda, the ruling Awami League is also executing various programs on the same day.
As the much-anticipated mass rally on Friday approaches, it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold.
