BNP irked by DMP conditions, wants to hold rally on Nov 13

BNP has reacted angrily to Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) decision to allow the party to organise its rally at the auditorium of Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in Dhaka, instead of in front of the party’s central office in Naya Paltan as it wanted. “We did not seek permission for the Engineers Institute,” said BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi in an immediate reaction on Tuesday afternoon. The DMP gave permission to the BNP to hold their rally on Tuesday at 2pm, but it set 27 conditions for the event and moved it to the IEB auditorium. A letter in this regard, signed by Special Assistant to Commissioner Sudip Kumar Chakraborty, was sent to Rizvi on Tuesday, the same day the DMP allowed the party to hold the event. Rizvi said they had sought the DMP's permission to hold their rally either at Suhrawardy Udyan or in front of their Naya Paltan headquarters. “We respect the DMP’s decision, but we will organise our rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on November 13 [Sunday],” he told the Dhaka Tribune. The party sought police permission last month to hold the rally on November 8 at Suhrawardy Udyan marking their November 7 “National Revolution and Solidarity Day”. As there was no word from police, the party asked permission on Monday to hold the rally on Wednesday. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addressed an “urgent” press briefing Tuesday afternoon announcing that they wanted to hold the rally on Sunday at Suhrawardy Udyan. Minutes later, DMP spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman announced that the BNP had been granted permission to hold the rally. Earlier, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia told reporters that several political parties had sought permission to hold rallies at Suhrwardy Udyan, but all of them had been denied to avert untoward incidents. At Tuesday's briefing, Mirza Fakhrul said they expected that the government would permit their rally in front of their headquarters. “But they did not. Now we are seeking permission for the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on Sunday.” He urged the government to green-light the rally. “If you [the government] continue to do this, the political crisis will not be solved,” Fakhrul added. BNP sat out the last general elections in 2014 demanding supervision of a neutral caretaker government over the polls. Police cordoned off the BNP headquarters in Naya Paltan early Tuesday. At least three platoons of police and plainclothesmen were deployed in front of its office. The law enforcers allowed only journalists to enter the office.

DMP's conditions for BNP rally

The Dhaka Tribune obtained a copy of the DMP letter that listed 27 conditions for the BNP to hold the rally. According to the letter, BNP must obtain permission to use the venue from the IEB authorities separately, and must finish the event within 4:30pm. BNP activists and leaders were allowed to gather inside the venue only and were barred from occupying the roads outside the venue. The BNP was also barred from setting up loudspeakers and projectors outside the auditorium and distributing pamphlets containing “provocative statements.” The party was instructed to make its own security arrangement and to install CCTV cameras and security archways at the venue. Speeches that may hurt religious sentiments or incite violence and satirical images were also prohibited. The DMP barred the BNP from holding the rally anywhere other than the designated venue. The party was also instructed to ensure that their event did not disrupt traffic in the area.