Staff Reporter :The BNP leaders on Monday alleged that the government restricted their party men from visiting party founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave at Chandrima Udyan on the occasion of his birthday by deploying huge law enforcers around parliament and the mazar areas.However, the law enforcers said the security has been beefed up in the parliament area as the national assembly went into its fifth session yesterday afternoon.Talking to reporters in front of BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, her media wing member Sayrul Kabir Khan alleged that BNP activists were barred by the law enforcers from visiting Ziaur Rahman’s grave since morning.Contacted, Biplob Kumar Sarker, Deputy Police Commissioner (Tejgaon Zone), said the security was tightened in and around the parliament area as parliament went into a new session. He said, they did not allow people to gather in the area in groups for security reason.Biplob, however, said they would allow senior BNP leaders to visit the grave. However, no senior leader was seen to be there as of 4pm. The law enforcers took position since morning at the main entrance of the grave and put up barricade on the road behind the parliament complex, making the thoroughfare off limit to vehicles and common people. They also placed a water canon, an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) vehicle and police vans on the road. A good number of BNP leaders who came in groups carrying wreaths to the entry point of the road were not allowed to enter the grave premises since morning.After 10:40am, police permitted some activists, especially female ones, to go to the grave premises individually while some other activists entered there climbing up walls.Later, the BNP leaders and activists, led by its executive committee member Mostafizur Rahman Babul, placed wreaths at Zia’s grave and offered munajat.They also chanted slogans there against the government. Later, police forced them out of the grave premises around 11:55am. Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal president Ishtiaq Aziz Ulfat alleged that they were barred by police from visiting Zia’s grave. “We came here to pay homage to former President Ziaur Rahman’s grave on his birthday, but the government has obstructed us from doing so. We condemn the government’s such activities, he added.”Meanwhile, the law enforcers picked up two youths from the area suspecting their involvement in subversive acts. Though the law enforcers on Sunday midnight removed its barricade from in front BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office where she had been allegedly kept under confinement for 15 days, she did not go to her husband’s grave like previous years.
