“The police gave me flowers,” said Jannatul Ferdous, a ninth-grade student, turning to her brother who had come with her to the Ramna to join the colourful Pahela Boishakh celebrations.
Explaining her surprise, Ferdous told bdnews24.com: “I have been afraid of police but now I see they are like us. There’s nothing to fear.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police organised the distribution of flower and sweets on the Pahela Boishakh, Additional Deputy Commissioner Nasima Akter said.
She said they had taken tight security measures after a string of violence and sabotage in parts of the country.
No untoward incident has been reported so far from the Ramna and Shuhrawardy Uddyan, police said.
Just two days before the Pahela Boishakh, DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed had requested all to leave the Ramna Park by 5pm and Shuhrawardy Uddyan by 7pm on the new year.
He had also assured ‘adequate’ security measures in view of the current unrest in the country.
Around 2,500 RAB personnel were pressed into service alongside police to ensure adequate security in Dhaka, where religious radicals have resorted to violence on New Year in the past.
Two helicopters were pressed into service for aerial surveillance.
To ensure safety, police set up road blocks and security posts at 22 points of the capital.
Source: Bd news24
