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Published : 04 Sep 2025, 07:34 PM
Police have issued another public notice banning rallies and gatherings near the State Guest House Jamuna, the official residence of chief advisor, and the Bangladesh Secretariat, the nerve centre of the country’s administration.
In a fresh announcement on Thursday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said the restriction will take effect from Sunday and remain in place until further orders.
The notice reads: “In the interest of maintaining public order and ensuring the security of the chief advisor, all types of meetings, rallies, public gatherings, processions, human chains, sit-ins, demonstrations, and marches are prohibited in the Secretariat, Jamuna, and surrounding areas under Section 29 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance.”
The areas covered include the stretch between the InterContinental Dhaka hotel intersection, the Kakrail Mosque intersection, the Officers Club intersection and the Minto Road intersection.
Police have been issuing such bans frequently in response to protests by different organisations.
Section 29 of the ordinance empowers the police commissioner to ban any rally or procession by written order “in the interest of public order or security”.
Such restrictions, however, cannot remain in force for more than 30 days without government approval.
Through successive notices, police have been keeping the ban in effect in these areas.
Despite the prohibition, students of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) blocked Shahbagh intersection at 11am on Aug 27.
During the protest, the students tried to march to the chief advisor’s residence but police intervened near the InterContinental Dhaka crossing.
Police dispersed the crowd with batons, water cannons, tear gas shells and stun grenades. The confrontation turned into clashes, leaving several students and police personnel injured.
Videos of police action against students went viral on the internet, drawing criticism from netizens.
