Sec 144 at 3 places in Nilphamari to avert clash between BNP groups
District administration imposed Section 144 at Jaldhaka municipality and two other places of the upazila to avoid possible clashes as two opponent groups of local BNP called public meeting at the same place and time yesterday.
As part of central agitation programme against the government's 'oppressive measures' towards the party, upazila unit BNP led by Jahangir Alam as president and Malekuzzaman Dodul as general secretary called a public meeting at the traffic intersection of Jaldhaka town at 10:00am yesterday, sources said.
BNP central Joint Secretary General Mizanur Rahman Minu, also former mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, was scheduled to attend the programme as chief guest.
Another group, known as 'rebel group', with Hamidur Rahman as convenor and Amzad Hossen as joint convenor of upazila unit of BNP, also called a meeting at the same place and time. Both the groups made massive announcement throughout the upazila for last couple of days.
Upazila BNP sources said that the first group is supported by the party's Rangpur divisional Joint Secretary Shamsuzzaman Samu and the other group is backed by former party lawmaker of the upazila and incumbent mayor of Jaldhaka municipality Kabir Chowdhury.
On Friday night, both the groups brought out separate processions in the town in support of yesterday's meeting. At one stage, the rival groups chased and threw stones at each other.
To avert deterioration of the situation, district administration imposed Section 144 in Jaldhaka municipality area at about 10:30pm on Friday.
At about 10:00am yesterday, both the groups again called separate meetings outside the municipality area -- one group at Bara Ghat Haat and the other group at Tengon Mari Haat.
But police intervened at both the places and made the activists leave the places.
Later the upazila administration imposed Section 144 also at the two places that are well-known business centres of the upazila.
At a press conference held at a local hotel at 3:15pm yesterday, BNP Joint Secretary General Mizanur Rahman Minu said agents of ruling Awami League in the name of BNP workers tried to create chaos at Jaldhaka to foil yesterday's agitation programme.
He termed imposing Section 144 in Jaldhaka as an anti-democratic act.
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