Police detain 50 Awami League supporters
The busy Bangabandhu Avenue, Zero Point intersection in Gulistan and the surrounding area of the capital were swarming with leaders and workers of the BNP, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and other like-minded parties on Sunday.
They were there in a bid to counter the scheduled processions and rallies announced by the Awami League to mark Shaheed Noor Hossain Day.
Since early Sunday, they marched towards the Zero Point and nearby areas with bamboo sticks and planks in hand. They gave a chase to a number of AL supporters, including female members, beat them mercilessly, and then handed them over to the law enforcement agencies.
On the other hand, security officials were also on alert.
To maintain law and order, 191 platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed across Dhaka and other parts of the country.
According to Muhammad Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner of the Media and Public Relations Department of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), the activists of the BNP and the student movement raided several hotels and searched hundreds of vehicles to detain 50 people who intended to follow a recent instruction from the party President Sheikh Hasina.
In an allegedly leaked phone call that went viral on mainstream media, Sheikh Hasina urged her party activists to gather at the Zero Point on Sunday to mark Noor Hossain Day. She also instructed them to carry some posters of US President-elect Donald Trump during the rally.
On various social media platforms, AL activists, most of whom are now in exile, also called the party supporters to hold a mass gathering in the capital. However, it did not all too well for the AL. Some of the AL supporters were detained by the BNP and the students with posters of Donald Trump, Noor Hossain, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
From the morning, the entire area was under the control of the students and BNP supporters. Although some AL supporters tried to bring out small processions from the National Press Club and Motijheel, they could not stay long on the streets.
In a Facebook post, the AL had earlier announced that a protest march would be held at 3pm to call for the removal of the anti-democratic forces and the re-establishment of democratic governance under the leadership of the party.
One Arif Rabbani was part of a procession under the banner of “Kafela of July”. He said: “The allies of fascists are conspiring from abroad. They are still making desperate efforts to destabilize the country. Instead of repenting for past massacres, they are trying to create instability. The AL is a despicable party in the eyes of the Bangladeshi people. They have no shame. Today, their announced program will be thwarted at any cost.”
Meanwhile, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement had announced a counter-gathering at the same location.
Additionally, BNP and leaders of its affiliate organizations gathered in front of the Awami League’s central office in Gulistan, and chanted slogans against the fallen AL government.
General Secretary of the July Shaheed Smrity Foundation and a key leader of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Sarjis Alam, said the AL men will not be allowed to enter Gulistan Zero Point. In fact, they will not be allowed to come within a few kilometers of the location.
Addressing AL supporters as members of the “Rumour League”, he said they will be collectively resisted if attempts are made to spread rumors.
Sarjis Alam made these comments at a rally at Zero Point in the afternoon.
Around 4pm, over 100 AL leaders and activists brought out a procession in front of the BRTC bus terminal under the banner of the Dhaka South Awami League.
Another procession was held in front of the South City Corporation, where leaders and activists from the Dhaka Metropolitan Awami League, Jubo League and other affiliated organizations took part.
Meanwhile, some leaders and activists from the central AL and its affiliated organizations gathered in front of the Bangladesh Bank near Motijheel and marched toward Zero Point.
However, they were chased and attacked by BNP activists and the supporters of the Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement.