Belying the speculation that there would be a widespread violence in the capital over the BNP-led 18-party alliance’s rally, the city dwellers finally saw the massive gathering ended peacefully.
As the tension had run high ahead of the much-hyped rally, the government also took all-out security measures to deal with any unwarranted situation.
But at the end of the day it was a peaceful public rally in the city though the incidents of violence were reported from elsewhere in the country that left at least six people dead.
Eighteen-party supporters started gathering peacefully at Suhrawardy Udyan, the rally venue, since morning braving drizzles as there was no obstruction from the law enforcers and the ruling party men unlike in the past.
The mammoth rally started at 2:15pm and ended at 5:50pm with Khaleda Zia’s speech spelling out her alliance’s action programmes aiming to mount pressure on the government to accept their demand for forming an election-time nonparty cabinet.
Complying with the conditions set by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), the speakers of the rally also did not make any provocative remarks against their opponents.
As BNP standing committee member Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah tried to make instigating comments on the ruling Awami League, he was stopped by party chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Later, Rafiqul Islam said he would not go ahead further as he had been prevented from doing so.
However, some BNP men engaged in scuffles with Jamaat-Shibir men over occupying the frontline of the rally so that they could see and hear the leaders better.
Leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League and its associate organisations also gathered in front of AL central office at Bangabandhu Avenue at the same time and they, too, ended their unscheduled programme peacefully.
Earlier, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) had slapped an indefinite ban on holding rallies and meetings and forming human chains in the capital on October 20.
As BNP was hell-bent to arrange its alliance’s prescheduled rally on October 25, the DMP finally permitted it to hold the programme at historic Suhrawardy Udyan on 14 conditions, though the party sought street in front of its Nayapaltan central office for the rally.
BNP finally accepted the DMP’s decision to hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan for what its leaders said in the interest of peace and negotiations.
Source: UNB Connect