Gazipur district administration today imposed Section 144 in the district as both BNP and Bangladesh Chhatra League, student front of ruling Awami League, have crossed swords centring Saturday’s rally at Bhawal Bodr-E-Alam Government College ground in the Sadar upazila.

The section 144 was imposed banning all sorts of political activities like rally, demonstration and mass gathering  in the district and it will remain active until farther direction, our Gazipur Correspondent reports quoting Harun-ur-Rashid, superintendent of police in Gazipur.

He was talking to reporters at a press briefing held at the meeting venue of Bhawal Bodr-E-Alam Government College ground this afternoon.

The Gazipur district administration came up with the decision after a closed-door meeting held between its district commissioner Nurul Islam and Harun-ur-Rashid, district police superintendent.

As both the BNP and Awami League have failed to come to a consensus, police will not let any of the political parties to hold rallies in Gazipur tomorrow.

No political parties would be allowed to hold rallies at Bhawal Bodr-E-Alam Government College ground in Gazipur Sadar upazila on Saturday in the interest of law and order, Nurul Islam, Gazipur district commissioner (DC) told reporters today.
He said neither BNP nor Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student front of AL obtained permission to stage rallies at the venue on that day.

“We will initiate necessary measures so that none can create any anarchy in the area centering the political event,” the DC added.

Meanwhile, a large number of law enforcers including police equipped with three water cannons were deployed at the venue to avert any untoward incident.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia today called for emergency meeting of the party’s height policy making body, National Standing Committee, in wake of the ban on political activities in Gazipur ahead the party’s Saturday’s public meeting there.

The meeting will be held with Khaleda in the chair at her Gulshan office in Dhaka around 7:30pm, said a source with the BNP chairperson’s media wing.

Talking to The Daily Star, BNP spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir criticised the government for imposing section 144 and said it has been done in a planned way to keep BNP away from political activities.

“The government wants to stay Khaleda Zia aside from politics. And section 144 has been imposed in Gazipur as part of its plan,” he alleged.

Next course of action will be devised in a party forum meeting protesting the government’s atrocities,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Mirza Fakhrul announced that the party’s prescheduled rally for tomorrow would be held in Gazipur at any cost.

“We will hold the rally in Gazipur on Saturday at any cost. All preparations have already been finished to make the rally a success,” Fakhrul told media at a press conference held at Khaleda’s Gulshan office this morning.

“The government will be held responsible if our rally is hindered anyhow and the country’s prevailing situation will be jeopardised if it is done,” he warned.

“The government has unleashed its arrest spree against BNP men when we have started enforcing anti-government campaign,” he said adding that its consequences will not be good at all.