Tensions are running high in Dhaka as main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and ruling Awami League set to hold do or die rallies in proximity on Saturday.
Last night Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) gave conditional permission to both the parties to hold rallies at their intended venue after heated exchanges.
However, the DMP denied permission to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to hold its rally in Dhaka. The party submitted an application seeking the permission, but the police refused to allow the party to hold the rally as it is no longer a registered political party.
The BNP will hold a rally at Naya Paltan area of Dhaka to demand for the resignation of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government and handing over power to a non-partisan government to hold the next general election.
While the ruling Awami League will be holding a “peace and development rally”, a programme announced to counter the opposition’s rally, at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka.
A sense of panic gripped dwellers of the capital apprehending that the rallies would spark violence as it happened in the past.
Thousands of law enforcers – police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and other agencies – have been deployed in Dhaka to prevent any possible violence during the rallies.
Police are manning the check-posts set up in different parts of the city and its outskirts. Police were seen checking passengers on board buses bound for Dhaka. Entrances to the city are being manned by security forces.
Meanwhile, the BNP has alleged that the police have arrested its many leaders and activists from different parts of the country in the last five days ahead of its grand rally.
In Bangladesh, upcoming parliamentary elections are due in the first week of January, next year. According to Chief Election Commissioner of Bangladesh Kazi Habibul Awal, the schedule for the elections may be declared by 15 November, 2023.