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Published on August 11, 2023
Habibullah Mizan:
The frequent political rallies, which never took place elsewhere in the world, create untold suffering for the people and the densely populated city dwellers have become tired of such activities in the name of politics.
The BNP leadership claims it is crying for democracy in Bangladesh, but leading political observers opine that the party wants democracy at extremely high prices.
To realize their demand for so-called democracy in the country, they are creating unbearable public sufferings in the name of organizing so-called grand rallies almost every day in many parts of the country.
BNP’s mass processions to press home their one-point movement started from two areas in the capital on Friday afternoon.
Both north and south units of Dhaka city BNP organised the processions that started at 3:00pm creating a traffic gridlock.
BNP's north unit procession led by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir started from Suvastu Tower in Badda and ended at Abul Hotel in Rampura.
The south unit procession led by BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, which started from Kamalapur Stadium, concluded at Malibagh Railway Gate.
These unnecessary processions destroyed the holiday mood of the city people.
According to eyewitnesses, the city’s Badda and Malibagh areas were jammed even on weekends due to BNP's rally programme. Some BNP leaders and activists took a stand at Pragati Sarani and Bir Uttam Rafiqul Islam Sarani in Badda area from 3 pm. The movement of traffic on one side of the road was completely stopped due to the marching and sloganeering of the leaders and activists taking position on the busy road. It also affected the other side of the road as well. Hundreds of common people who were going to different destinations, got stuck in heavy traffic due to BNP’s programme.
Due to the position of the leaders and workers in the city roads, the traffic movement at the Pragati Sarani in Badda area was completely stopped. There was a severe traffic jam from the Notun Bazar area of the road almost till the Kuril-Bishwa road.
On the south side of Badda road, a severe traffic jam was created on the west side of the road at Bir Uttam Rafiqul Islam Sarani. The queue of traffic stuck on the road till 3:30 pm was seen till the Rampura Youloop area. At this time, passengers stuck in traffic on both sides were seen walking towards their destination. Many others traveled to their destination through contracted ride-sharing motorcyclists.
Emdad Hosain, a private employee, was seen waiting to go to TSC in Dhaka University area.
He said that he had been stuck in the traffic jam in the Notun Bazar area since half past two. Later, he got down from the car around three o'clock and started walking. It takes about half an hour to walk to Badder Hossain Market area.
He was seen leaving for TSC with a contract of 350 taka with a motorcyclist from there.
When the BNP mass rally reached Malibagh, cars were seen stuck on the back road for a long distance.
After holding a grand rally in front of its party headquarters on July 27 this year, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced sit-in programmes at important entry points of the capital Dhaka just after one day. The party leaders and activists attempted to take a position at the entrances of the city from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, which apparently turned violent as unruly BNP activists carried out brutal attacks on law enforcers and common people, and set fire to vehicles like they did in 2013 and 2014.
BNP caders set a police van and several vehicles on fire in the Shyamoli area where many other vehicles were also vandalized.
At least three passenger buses were set ablaze and many others were vandalized in the Matuail area on the day.
Another passenger bus was also burnt to ashes during BNP’s violent attacks in Uttara.
A group of BNP men brought out a procession and set fire to a public passenger bus registered with Welcome Paribahan, a motorcycle and set a pick-up van of the police near the Shishu Mela area in flames on the same day.
The BNP’s aggressive activists were also locked in clashes with police as the law enforcers tried to stop their violent acts.
Due to the sit-in programme at all the city entrances, no vehicles and people could either leave the capital or come in from the rest of the country.
Courtesy: Bangladesh Post
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