A day before the opposition’s scheduled ‘March for Democracy programme’, life in Dhaka virtually came to a standstill as government agencies yesterday halted transport services and launched massive drives to foil the programme. A sense of insecurity prevailed in the city as people apprehended escalation of violence during the programme. While the Awami League-led government is making all-out efforts to foil the plan, the opposition has vowed to go ahead with it from 11am today.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, whose movement is believed to be restricted by the government, has decided to be present at the Naya Paltan central office of the party, the venue of the programme, BNP leaders confirmed yesterday, adding fresh suspense to the course of events.
In a bid to prevent the opposition activists from holding the programme, police have started a ‘massive witch-hunt’ in and around the capital, since Friday, and it is alleged that female family members of opposition activists were also harassed during the drive.
BNP leaders said that despite the government’s move to foil the programme, many of their activists were able to reach the capital in the last couple of days.
Several thousand people from the adjacent districts have already arrived in the capital to take part in the programme, a senior BNP leader said, adding that if the opposition men are barred from reaching the meeting venue, they would stage sit-in wherever they are restricted.
Meanwhile, law enforcers are maintaining strict vigil in the city and across the country to fend off any subversive activities ahead of the March for Democracy programme.
Around 20,000 personnel from police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have already taken position in nine points in and around the capital, since yesterday morning. Besides, riot police, Armed Police Battalion (APBn), SWAT and bomb disposal teams will also be kept on alert. In addition, a sufficient number of water cannons and APC will be deployed in sensitive areas.
Law enforcers have already cordoned the central office of the BNP and adjoining areas at Naya Paltan.
IGP Hasan Mahmood Khondokar told The Independent: “We won’t allow anybody to gather anywhere in the city, as we did not give permission to hold any kind of political programme in connection with the March for Democracy programme.”
“We have directed all senior officials to discharge their duties strictly to ensure security of the city dwellers, by cracking down on all subversive activities in the name of political programme,” Khondokar added.
Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media and publication) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said, “The DMP has already taken adequate security measures ahead of the March for Democracy programme, to thwart any unpleasant incident in the capital, after dividing it into nine zones.”
The nine zones are Ramna, Lalbagh, Sutraupur, Motijheel, Uttara, Tegjaon, Gulshan, Mirpur and the Secretariat, he said, adding that policemen in plainclothes have already set up check-posts at a number of city points.
According to sources at the police headquarters, a high level meeting was held on Thursday night about the security measures ahead of the ‘March for Democracy’. At the meeting, senior officers of the law enforcement agency decided to beef up security in the capital and other districts from Saturday morning.
The officers decided to deploy an additional 8,000 policemen and 2,000 RAB personnel at different key points of the capital and surrounding areas, including entry and exit points like the Sadarghat launch terminal, Kamalapur railway station and Gabtoli, Mohakahli and Sayedabad bus terminals.
Besides, tracing some places in the
city where the Opposition activists carry out subversive activities during hartal like Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Shanirakhra, Rayerbagh, Dhalpur, Khilgaon, Shajahanpur, Rampura, Badda and Mirpur along with on-duty policemen, armed police personnel in plainclothes on motorbikes will be deployed from this morning.
A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, told The Independent: “We have assured a sufficient stock of teargas shells and rubbers bullet to field level police officers to ensure the highest security measure.”
Besides, most of the key points in the capital will be monitored through CCTVs, for which temporary police camps have been set up along the route of the “March for Democracy”, he said.
About Jamaat-Shibir violence, Monirul Islam, Joint-Commissioner of DMP and chief of the Detective Branch of Police, told The Independent: “Intelligence agency members in plainclothes will monitor all activities and movement of the ‘March for Democracy’ to foil all plans of Jamaat-Shibir men.”
Habibur Rahman, director of the legal and media wing of RAB, told The Independent that RAB would work jointly with other law enforcers. “Around 5,000 RAB members will be on patrol duty in the city and 3,000 in the districts.”
Hundreds of commuters were stranded following the sudden withdrawal of bus services in the city on Saturday.
The president of the Association of Bus Companies, Rafiqul Hossain, admitted that the government had asked the bus-owners to keep their vehicles off the road. No long-distance buses either arrived or left any bus terminal in Dhaka since Friday night. It is learnt that the police also visited bus terminals in the morning to ensure that the “government’s instructions” were followed. However, the IGP denied any such move.
The state-run BRTC ran just some old buses.
Most train services to and from the capital were also suspended. A Railway official said higher-ups in the department had directed them not to run trains on schedule till Sunday night. “The trains did not depart as per schedule and many were suspended suddenly. The official excuse was trouble in engines,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
Meanwhile, more than 50,000 supporters of the BNP-led 18-party alliance from the districts around Dhaka have already reached the city to participate in the ‘March for Democracy’ programme, according our correspondents and district BNP leaders.
Our Rajbari correspondent said police seized about 200 trawlers, which were hired by opposition supporters to come to Dhaka.
Gazipur district Awami League set up a stage at Gazipur square to prevent opposition activists go to Dhaka. BNP sources, however, said that over 8,000 opposition activists have already reached Dhaka by escaping police and ruling party vigilantes.
Quoting a district BNP leader, our Tangail correspondent said about 10,000 opposition activists have already gone to Dhaka.
Our Faridpur correspondent said about 8,500 opposition activists had gone to Dhaka to join the Dhaka march programme.
According to our Chandpur correspondent, over 10,000 BNP-Jamaat activists reached the capital to take part in the opposition programme.
Besides, over 20,000 opposition activists came to Dhaka from Narsingdi, Naryanganj, Jamalpur, Shariatpur, Madaripur and Sherpur districts to join Sunday’s rally in front of the BNP headquarters.
Meanwhile, Military Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Major General Mia Md Zainul Abedin held a meeting with Hefazat-e-Islam Ameer Allama Shah Ahmed Shafi in Chittagong yesterday.
During their meeting that lasted about two hours, the Hefazat chief assured the PM’s military secretary that they have no involvement in the BNP-led 18-party’s ‘March for Democracy’. Chittagong Zila Parishad chairman and ruling Awami League leader MA Salam and Hefazat central leader Maulona Moinuddin Ruhi confirmed the local journalists about the meeting.
-With The Independent input
