DMP proposes 91 ‘alternative locations’ for political gatherings

Sites include 27 school grounds, a stadium, and Gulistan’s Mahanagar Natyamancha

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has identified 91 alternative venues for political rallies in the capital, urging parties to avoid staging programmes on busy streets.

Among the proposed locations, the largest is Suhrawardy Udyan, a 27.5 hectare ground that can accommodate up to 250,000 people, while the smallest is the Muktangan, a park near the General Post Office of Gulistan, with space for around 200.

Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali placed the proposal at a views exchange meeting at the Rajarbagh Police Line Auditorium on Saturday.

The session was attended by central and metropolitan leaders of 32 political parties and alliances.

Although the names of the sites were not disclosed during the meeting, the DMP’s public relations department later released a station-wise list of all locations.

Of the total, 27 are fields within educational institutions. The list also includes one stadium and Gulistan’s Mahanagar Natyamancha.

Addressing political representatives at the meeting, the police chief said rallies on city roads severely disrupt daily life.

“Pregnant women and critically ill patients cannot reach hospitals on time. Examinees fail to get to their centres. This situation must be resolved,” he told them.

According to the list provided, the proposed venues are distributed across police divisions as follows: Motijheel 15, Tejgaon 12, Lalbagh 17, Wari 14, Gulshan 8, Mirpur 11, Uttara 10, and Ramna 4.