BNP rejects DMP’s last minute permission for rally

BNP has secured an eleventh hour permit to hold today’s rally in observation of “National Revolution and Solidarity Day” at Engineers’ Institute.

Permission to use the venue has been granted to BNP starting from 2:00pm, Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said.

BNP had earlier sought Suhrawardy Udyan to mark its November 7 occasion. However, denied of the venue, it shifted its programme for today and sought permission for Nayapaltan.

“We don’t want to hold indoor programme. We sought permission to hold rally at Nayapaltan,” Rizvi Ahmed, senior joint secretary general of BNP, told The Daily Star.

BNP observes “National Revolution and Solidarity Day” to mark the “civil-military uprising” in 1975 that led to the release of party founder Ziaur Rahman from captivity.

Zia, the then chief of army staff, was freed from captivity in Dhaka Cantonment by soldiers and civilians amid political turmoil, paving the way for him to come to power.

The ruling Awami League and its front organisations consider it the day of the “killing of freedom fighters” and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab) of civil-military revolution.