Staff Reporter :
The government has prohibited events marking the celebrations of Pahela Baishakh (the first day of Bangla New Year) from continuing after sunset, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
“All kinds of outdoor public gathering will be prohibited after 6:00pm,” he told journalists after a meeting with top law enforcing officials at the Secretariat on Sunday.
Wearing masks and blowing horns like Vuvuzela have been also banned during the procession for the Bangla New Year celebrations on the Dhaka University campus.
“Vuvuzela creates an obnoxious sound. This will be banned,” said the Minister. “We cannot stop the festivities. But we request to wrap it all up by 6:00 pm. Law enforcers will move to clear all public places by 6:00 pm,” Kamal said.
He said that all necessary measures will be taken so that festivities can take place without disruption.
The venue of Baishaki Fair will be monitored by CCTV cameras, he said.
The meeting was attended by the IGP, RAB Chief, heads of other security agencies as well representatives of the City Corporation.
Last year, a group of youths assaulted and sexually harassed a number of women at Suhrawardy Udyan gate near Dhaka University’s Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) during the Pahela Baishakh celebrations.
