The ruling Awami League and its arch rival BNP have both deferred their rallies scheduled for Thursday to Friday following instructions from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), according to several top government sources.
The three youth wings of the ruling party - Jubo League, Swechchhasebak League and Chhatra League - had originally planned to hold the rally at the southwest gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at 11am on Thursday. When they were denied permission by the DMP, they attempted to shift the rally to the Dhaka University Gymnasium but could not get permission there either.
The rally will now be held at the Dhaka International Trade Fair field at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Friday afternoon.
Similarly, the BNP had planned to hold their rally at Naya Paltan or Suhrawardy Uddyan on Wednesday but the DMP did not give them permission to use either venue. Police suggested they consider the Golapbagh field where the party held its grand rally on December 10 last year.
“There is a reservation of the High Court about meetings at Suhrawardy Udyan. We have asked the BNP delegation to consider the Golapbagh field,” DMP Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq said at a briefing on Wednesday.
The DMP chief also mentioned that nine political parties, including the Awami League and the BNP, had applied for permission to hold rallies in the capital. He warned that such gatherings might be banned if they create public suffering.
“We will allow some of them to hold rallies after a review,” he said.
Party sources said the DMP has instructed them to hold political programs on the weekend and not on the weekdays. As a result, both parties have shifted their rallies to Friday.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the new date during a press conference after a meeting with senior leaders of the party last night.
He said: “The rally will be held after the Jummah prayer at Naya Paltan.”
Earlier in the day, Fakhrul met with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas. On Tuesday, he went to the residence of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Meanwhile, Awami League Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua told Dhaka Tribune that they had decided to postpone the rally to Friday as they would not have been able to prepare the DITF ground in time to hold the rally on Thursday as scheduled.
Swechchhasebak League General Secretary Afzalur Rahman Babu confirmed that they had sought permission to hold the rally at the Dhaka University Gymnasium before deciding on the DITF ground.
For the last few weeks, Awami League has been holding peace rallies on the same days that the BNP arranges their protest programs across the country. Violence between the supporters of the two parties, and BNP activists and the police was reported in nine districts, including Dhaka, during such rallies on July 18.
When contacted, Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, general secretary of Jubo League, told Dhaka Tribune: “We are expecting a peaceful rally with the presence of a huge crowd of youth supporters of Awami League [on Friday].”
Responding to a question, he said: “Every political party has the right to hold rallies in a democratic country like Bangladesh, and we are practising this culture. So, we do not think anything messy will happen.”
Saddam Hossain, president of Chhatra League, said: “At least 100,000 students from all Dhaka-based educational institutions will join Friday's rally to support the ongoing journey towards developed Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader held a joint meeting with party leaders and top leaders of its associate bodies on Tuesday and gave instructions to hold a massive rally. Senior BNP leaders did the same.
On condition of anonymity, ruling party leaders said they take all necessary preparations on the ground so that the opposition cannot cause chaos.
