In the wee hours of today, some policemen are seen in and around their van at the intersection of Gulshan Avenue and the street in front of BNP chief Khaleda Zia's residence. Photo: Amran Hossain On the first anniversary of the January 5 polls tomorrow, the BNP-led 20-party alliance gears up for a massive gathering at Nayapaltan while the ruling Awami League prepares to hold rallies at 16 points i
n the capital, raising fears of a face-off on the streets. The BNP plans to bring as many leaders and activists as possible to its Nayapaltan central office if it is denied permission to hold a rally in the city to mark January 5 as "Democracy Killing Day". The government, however, seems determined not to allow the opposition to go ahead with its plan. In late night developments, law enforcers cordoned off BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia' Gulshan office and barred her from coming out. BNP Assistant Secretary Shamimur Rahman Shamim told The Daily Star that more than a hundred police personnel surrounded the party chief's office at about 12:05am. “When she got into her car to go out of the office, police put up a barrier at the main gate, parking a vehicle there. She waited for around 10 minutes inside the car and then returned to the office,” said Shamim. Meanwhile, DB police picked up BNP Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed from party's Nayapaltan central office in the early hours today. Advertisement In reply to queries from journalists there, the detectives said the BNP leader was ill and they were taking him to hospital. Rizvi was whisked away by an ambulance. Party sources said police took him to Apollo Hospitals in the city. Earlier, a medical team, led by Dr ASM Raihan of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, went to the BNP central office around 11:40pm to examine Rizvi on his request. After a primary check-up, the team said the BNP leader was suffering from gastrological problems and nausea, and he needs bed rest for a few days. DB police entered the BNP office minutes after the physicians had left. The detectives told Rizvi that they came to take him to hospital. Though the BNP leader opposed the idea, they forced him into an ambulance, claimed staffs at the party office. BNP sources said police searched the party office around 12:30am, and then locked it. They, however, didn't give details. A police truck is parked on Gulshan Avenue blocking the street. Photo: Amran Hossain Talking to The Daily Star, a number of BNP leaders said Khaleda had told senior party colleagues that she would make every effort to join the showdown at Nayapaltan. On her instructions, officials at her Gulshan office and the central office contacted leaders of the party and its front organisations and asked them to march towards Nayapaltan. A top leader of a component of the BNP-led combine last night said they were asked to stay near the Nayapaltan area tonight so they could move to the BNP office the following day at short notice. The BNP men have been advised to apply their “own techniques" to gather there, avoiding confrontations with the ruling party men who are to be on the streets at 16 points in the capital. The AL formed 16 teams with its senior leaders and lawmakers who will attend rallies at those points. Instead of holding a rally at one place, the AL has opted for the programme to thwart the BNP-led alliance's move to stage a showdown denouncing the January 5 elections. As announced, the AL will celebrate the first anniversary of the one-sided election as "Victory Day for Democracy". Some AL leaders have already announced they wouldn't allow BNP men to take to the streets tomorrow. Ministers Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Qamrul Islam, also top leaders of AL Dhaka city unit, yesterday reiterated this after a meeting of the AL-led 14-party alliance in the capital. Sounding a note of warning for the opposition, Qamrul said, “Don't make any attempt to take to the streets on that day.” He was talking to reporters after the meeting at the AL central office on Bangabandhu Avenue. Law enforcement agencies have been asked to take necessary measures to foil the opposition's move to stage a showdown. Police have already intensified their drives against opposition men in different parts of the country. In the capital, law enforcers have been deployed in big numbers in front of the BNP central office since Friday night. State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said if the BNP indulges in any kind of destructive activities, the law enforcement agencies would take stern action. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman yesterday said police would take all measures to ensure safety and security of people. The BNP and its allies that boycotted the January 5 polls now plan to wage fresh agitations this month to force the government to hold an election under a non-partisan administration. It is almost clear to the BNP leaders that the DMP wouldn't give them permission to hold a rally tomorrow anywhere in the city. On December 22, the BNP applied to the DMP for permission to hold a rally either at Suhrawardy Udyan or Motijheel or Nayapaltan. But the DMP is yet to respond. To inquire about it, a BNP delegation led by party leader Zainul Abdin Farroque went to the DMP headquarters yesterday but failed to get an audience with any of the DMP high-ups. A police officer informed them that all top DMP officials were busy with preparations for Bishwa Ijtema, and that he would convey the delegation's message to the high-ups, Farroque told The Daily Star. The delegation also visited the DMP headquarters on December 31 to know the fate of the application. "We still hope the government will allow us to hold a rally in the city. If it doesn't give permission, we will make all-out efforts to stage a showdown at and around party's Nayapaltan office," Abdul Awal Mintoo, joint convenor of BNP Dhaka city unit, told this newspaper yesterday. Mintoo, also an adviser to the BNP chairperson, said party leaders and activists in every ward and thana in the city were asked to march towards Nayapaltan tomorrow morning. The BNP high command wants to bank on the party's youth and student fronts for tomorrow's showdown. Officials at Khaleda's Gulshan office have been working to that end, said sources. "We are ready and will start for Nayapaltan at the right time," said Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal President Rajib Ahsan. A Jubo Dal leader also echoed his words. “If we manage to mobilise at least a hundred people from each of the 100 wards in the capital, there will be a big showdown," said a leader of BNP city unit seeking anonymity. Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, member of BNP standing committee, asserted that party activists have been upbeat and they will make tomorrow's programme a success. BNP leaders and activists got frustrated due to failure of the party's "March for Democracy" programme before the January 5 election. On December 29, 2013, BNP men couldn't take to the streets in the face of tough action by law enforcement agencies. Even the party chief was kept confined to her Gulshan residence. "The present situation is not the same as it was in 2013. We will hold the rally at any cost," said Mahbubur Rahman. A number of senior BNP leaders said the party has no alternative but to stage a showdown. If the ruling party creates obstacles or launches attacks on them, the opposition may call shutdowns for three days from Tuesday, they said. The party's district and upazila units also plan to hold rallies and bring out processions carrying black flags. Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, president of BNP's Patuakhali district unit, said they were ready to stage a showdown in the district, denouncing the one-sided election. The ruling AL has also made preparations to bring out processions across the country.
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