Police takes control of BNP central office, Nayapaltan Square

Police and armoured van posted in front of opposition BNP's head office and the Nayapaltan Square, proposed venue of Dec 10 rally.

Dhaka, Dec 8 – A day after a clash, police action and firing at protesters from guns by helmeted plainclothes men and one in argentine football team's T-shirt in Nayapaltan, a tense situation is prevailing in the area in Dhaka where traffic movement remained disrupted since Wednesday night. 

Police is in control of the BNP central office and the Nayapaltan square where the largest opposition party did propose to hold its Dhaka divisional mass rally to press the demands for lowering the prices of essentials and holding of free and fair election under a nonparty caretaker government.

No one is being allowed to enter the area without ID as police set up barricades at the Nightingale intersection in Bijoynagar and Fakirapool crossings. No vehicles were seen in front of the BNP office.

A huge number of law enforcers remained deployed in the area with armoured and police vehicles.

No BNP leaders and activists have been seen at the party office since this morning, after Wednesday’s clash.

However, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is supposed to visit the Nayapaltan office after appearing before a Dhaka court in the morning, Sayrul Kabir Khan, a BNP media cell member, told UNB.

Most offices, shopping malls and shops in the area were closed till 10 am this morning.

Locals said that they are panicked as a huge number of policemen are taking position in the area. They were also facing difficulties in going to their respective destinations.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday claimed that two leaders of their party’s student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal were killed and over 100 others were injured in an attack by police when bullets were fired in front of their party’s Nayapaltan central office.

Besides, he said, around 600 BNP leaders and activists, including party's senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Dhaka south city unit convener Abdus Salam and north city unit convener Amanullah Aman, were arrested from the party office.

The DMP commissioner, meanwhile, said BNP men exploded cocktails from their party office and for that the drive was carried out.

“We beefed up security by increasing the number of police. It was an official day, and they (BNP) didn’t take prior permission to hold the rally”, he said. - UNB