BNP ready for Suhrawardy Udyan rally, yet to get police permission

The BNP has yet to receive permission from the police for a rally it has planned for Mar 12 at the Suhrawardy Udyan.

The party plans to hold the protest rally in a push for its Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s release. Khaleda has been serving a five-year jail term since she was convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on Feb 8.

Police have not granted permission as of noon Saturday, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said at a media briefing at BNP’s Naya Paltan headquarters.

“We are not concerned about the permission. We will see what happens in two days. We are ready to hold the rally as our preparations are complete,” Rizvi said. 

As part of peaceful protests, the BNP plans to hold a series of public rallies in divisional towns, including Dhaka, to demand the freedom of the party chief.

A rally was planned in the district town of Khulna on Saturday.

Others demonstrations are set for Mar 15 in Chittagong and Mar 31 in Rajshahi. The party leaders will fix the other dates later, Rizvi said.

Rizvi also branded Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader as a ‘reckless liar’ in a scathing attack on his remarks suggesting that the BNP staged its sit-in in Dhaka illegally.

“He said the BNP held its programme illegally. How can he lie in such way?”

Rizvi said the BNP sought permission for the sit-in programme from police and have a copy of the letter.