Staff Reporter :Amid growing political tension, Gazipur district administration on Friday imposed section 144 in the district for an indefinite period as both Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) announced separate rallies at Bhawal Badre Alam Government College ground for today (Saturday).The district administration came up with the decision after a closed-door meeting between Deputy Commissioner (DC) Nurul Islam and Superintendent of Police (SP) Harun-ur-Rashid. The section 144 was imposed banning all sorts of political activities like rally, demonstration and mass gathering in the district and it will remain effective until further order, SP Harun-ur-Rashid said at a press briefing held at the college ground on Friday afternoon.”As both the BNP and Awami League have failed to come to a consensus, police will not let any of the political parties to hold rallies in Gazipur on Saturday,” he said, adding that the local administration did not permit anyone to hold rally to maintain law and order in the district. Earlier in the morning, DC Nurul Islam told reporters that no political parties would be allowed to hold rallies at Bhawal Bodre Alam Government College ground in Gazipur Sadar upazila on Saturday in the interest of law and order.He said neither BNP nor BCL, the student front of AL, obtained permission to stage rallies at the same venue on that day. “We will initiate necessary measures so that none can create any anarchy in the area centering the political event,” the DC added. The local administration has also deployed a large number of law enforcers, including police equipped with three water cannons, at the venue to avert any untoward incident.Earlier, police in their separate drives arrested seven leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, including the vice president of the local unit of Jubo Dal, from different parts of the city early Friday, ahead of the BNP-led alliance’s much-hyped Gazipur rally.BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Friday called an emergency meeting of the party’s National Standing Committee in wake of the ban on political activities in Gazipur ahead the party’s public meeting there today.Meanwhile, BNP spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a media briefing in the morning said that BNP and its allies would hold the rally in Gazipur on Saturday at any cost. All preparations have already been finalised to make the rally a success,” he told the briefing held at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office. “The government will be held responsible if our rally is hindered anyhow and the country’s prevailing situation will be jeopardised if it is done,” he warned.He also alleged that the government has unleashed its arrest spree against BNP men when we have started enforcing anti-government campaign. “Its consequences will not be good at all,” he warned. He also criticised the government for imposing section 144 and said it has been done in a planned way to keep BNP away from political activities. “The government wants to stay Khaleda Zia aside from politics. And section 144 has been imposed in Gazipur as part of its plan,” he alleged.Next course of action will be devised in a party forum meeting protesting the government’s atrocities,” he added.
