Police on Sunday barred BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and some other senior leaders from visiting Kalurghat Radio Station, from where its party founder shaheed president Ziaur Rahman read out the declaration of independence on March 26, 1971.
At noon, Fakhrul together with party leaders and activists placed wreaths at Biplob Udyan and Bijoy Udyan paying homage to the martyrs of the Liberation War, Chittagong BNP ex-office secretary Idris Ali said.
When the BNP leaders set out for Kalurghat Radio Station, they were obstructed by police at the port city’s Sholasahar crossing, Idris said.
At one stage, Fakhrul and BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury got out of their vehicles and locked into an altercation with the law enforcers, but they were not allowed to go to the radio station.
At the same time, a group of Chhatra League leaders and activists gathered at the crossing with a procession. Police forced them to leave the area to maintain peace.
Finally, Fakhrul and his party colleagues went to Polo Ground to attend a scheduled public meeting of the BNP.
BNP leader Amir Khosru said they wanted to place wreaths at Kalurghat Radio Station as "Ziaur Rahman proclaimed the country’s independence from there in 1971. It’s a regrettable matter that we’re not allowed to go there.”
Jahidul Kabir, officer-in-charge of Panchlaish police station, said BNP leaders were given permission to pay homage to Biplob Udyan and hold a meeting at Polo Ground, but they did not have permission to go to the radio station.
“So, they have been asked to go to their scheduled programmes to avoid any untoward situation.”
