DMP chief dismisses banned party’s flash rallies as ‘social media shows’

DMP commissioner says there is “no reason to panic” over the flash protests staged by the ousted party

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner SM Sazzat Ali has said the recent flash rallies organised by the Awami League and its affiliates “exist only on social media”, dismissing the activity as virtual displays rather than real street movements.

On Thursday, Commissioner Sazzat urged the public not to be alarmed.

“There’s no reason to panic about their activities,” he said.

“For the past 15–20 days, there haven’t been any real rallies. Those who take part come from different towns, stay overnight, stand in one spot, pull out a banner from their pocket, shoot a short video -- maybe 30 seconds or a minute -- and post it on Facebook.

“Then everyone thinks there’s been some massive rally. But this is the age of social media. It’s so strong now -- anything that happens anywhere goes viral. We have to accept that. There’s no reason to panic.”

The commissioner’s comments come amid the banned party’s sporadic attempts to display political presence through surprise processions in parts of Dhaka, which have been quickly uploaded online for visibility.

Sazzat also said police across the country were undergoing special training in preparation for the national election.

“An election is coming. The police are preparing to discharge their responsibilities,” he said.

He observed that in the past 17 years, Bangladesh had not experienced any major “participatory election”, leaving a large portion of the current force inexperienced.

“Our personnel aren’t used to it anymore,” he said. “In the previous caretaker governments, police were trained for elections. But in the last 17 years, things have changed.

“Out of 200,000 officers, half were recruited during this time. Many don’t even know what an election is -- they’ve never even voted.”

The DMP commissioner said many officers were receiving training on how to manage polling duties efficiently and fairly, ensuring law and order throughout the process.

Expressing optimism, Sazzat said he expected the election to be conducted in a completely “neutral and peaceful manner”.

“We are hopeful that this election will take place in an impartial and credible environment,” he said.