After nearly 47 days of apparent closure, normal political activities resumed in the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on Thursday.
Three BNP assistant office secretaries — Abdul Latif Jony, Shamimur Rahman Shamim, Asadul Karim Shaheen — and Jubo Dal senior vice president Abdus Salam Azad entered the party office around 11:25 pm without any obstruction by law enforcers, and resumed their political activities.
As the government had taken a hard line ahead of the January-5 10th parliament election, the law enforcers kept the Nayapaltan BNP headquarters under siege for nearly one and a half months, restricting party leaders and activists from entering it.
Earlier on Tuesday, a milad mahfil was held at the BNP headquarters marking the holy Eid-e-Miladunnabi.
As the news of reopening of their party office spread around, its enthusiastic activists started streaming into it to meet their central leaders most of whom had gone into hiding during the movement ahead of the much-talked-about polls boycotted by the BNP-led alliance.
Though some members of law enforcers still remained deployed around the office, they did not resist anyone from entering the office.
Talking to reporters, Jony said, “We’ve entered our central office after 47 days as law enforcers had kept it besieged so long. We didn’t face any obstacle in entering it today.”
He urged the government not to create any barrier to exercising their democratic rights, including carrying out their normal activities, in their political offices.
Jony also demanded immediate release of the arrested party senior leaders, including office secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Later, BNP acting secretary general Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also came to the office around 1:30pm and stayed at his chamber for nearly 25 minutes.
Fakhrul last visited the BNP office on November 1 to attend a gayebana-janaza. However, he hurriedly left the place after the janza in a motorbike wearing a helmet to dodge police, drawing huge criticisms from different quarters.
The BNP headquarters had turned into a derelict spot following the arrest of BNP joint secretary general and office secretary Ruhul Kabir Ahmed Rizvi from it in the early hours of November 30 and obstruction of party leaders and activists by law enforcers from entering it.
Unlike any other hartal and blockade days, the party leaders and activists did not go the office and held any press briefing or press conference there since Rizvi’s arrest.
Though the BNP chairperson announced to hold a rally of ‘March for Democracy’ in front of the party office on December 29 and 30, no leader and activist could gather there due to tight security and strong vigil of the law enforcers.
Law enforcers also arrested some BNP leaders and activists those who tried to enter the office.
Khaleda Zia announced the abortive ‘March for Democracy’ demanding that the national election that was held on January 5 under a non-party caretaker government.
As its demand had gone unheeded, the BNP-led 18-party alliance boycotted the election which was eventually won by Awami League.
Source: UNBConnect
