The police have set up checkposts in the capital’s Gabtoli and Aminbazar area ahead of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) rally at Naya Paltan in the capital.
The members of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Dhaka district police have been checking people at these two points since Wednesday morning.
There are allegations that the police have arrested several leaders and activists of the BNP after checking their cell phones.
Earlier, police set up checkposts in the Gabtoli and Amin Bazar area in a similar way ahead of the BNP’s rally on10 December last year.
However, the police claim that it is part of their regular activities. In the meantime, the regular commuters and bus drivers are saying that they have not seen any such activities of police in the last month.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Md Rafiqul Islam, a bus driver, said, “I haven’t seen such checking in the last one or two months. I have been waiting at the same place for nearly three hours. The gas is burning and the passengers are suffering.”
De facto opposition BNP is set to announce their one-point demand of overthrowing the government to re-establish people’s ‘right to vote’ from their rally to be held in the capital’s Naya Paltan area this afternoon. Thirty six other parties will announce the same from 12 different points of the city today.
Meanwhile, Dhaka south city unit of Awami League is also going to hold a 'peace rally' at the south gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in protest of terror activities and attempts to create chaos.
