BNP holds sit-in programme at Nayapaltan
BNP leaders and activists have started a sit-in programme to press home their 10-point demand in front of the party's Nayapaltan office.
The programme started from 11:00am Wednesday (11 January).
The BNP men swarmed around the Nightingale intersection in Kakrail to Arambagh. The partymen were accompanied by twelve other like-minded opposition parties.
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Meanwhile, Gonotontro Moncho, a newly formed coalition of seven political parties, observed a sit-in programme in front of the Press Club as part of BNP's simultaneous anti-government movement.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who was released from jail on Monday, and other senior leaders will address the programme. Similar programmes will also be arranged in nine other divisional cities at the same time.
The BNP is leading the simultaneous anti-government movement with a 27-point demand. It is likely to announce new programmes today for 16 January.
Since morning, law enforcement officials were seen on stand-by in surrounding areas.
Vice Chairman of BNP and coordinator of the public space programme Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said, "We will have a peaceful programme with a lot of people in attendance."
Earlier on Tuesday (10 January), a BNP delegation held a meeting with DMP commissioner Md Golam Faruq along with other officials at DMP headquarters seeking permission to hold the programme. The DMP later gave the nod to the party allowing them to conduct its protest.
BNP was given permission to hold the programme from 10am to 2pm on condition of keeping traffic movement normal, DMP's Deputy Commissioner (Media) Faruq Hossain told TBS.
On vehicular movement in the capital amid the protests, DMP Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Munibur Rahman said they have no specific traffic diversion or directives for the commuters.
BNP leaders said their activists have gained more confidence after the 24 and 30 December simultaneous mass rallies, in which most opposition parties took part. They also believe that their anti-government movement advances in the right direction.
Meanwhile, Awami League leaders said they will take to the streets to keep an eye on the opposition movement and prevent any anarchic situation.
On 30 December, BNP announced a mass sit-in protest in all divisional cities including Dhaka on 11 January as part of the party's simultaneous anti-government movement.
