BNP planned to occupy streets and invite a vested quarter to power

Staff Reporter :
The foreign ministry has informed all diplomatic missions in Dhaka that BNP actually planed to take control of the streets forcefully through the December 10 rally and invite a vested quarter to power unconstitutionally by creating anarchy.
In a ‘non-paper’ letter titled “Recent political situation in Bangladesh’, the Foreign Ministry on 12 December informed the foreign missions in detail about the BNP’s December 10 rally in Dhaka and what happened before and during the event.
In the letter, the ministry said, the BNP leaders announced bringing around 2.5 million people to Dhaka from all over the country for a rally on December 10.
Assessing the possible implications on security, public safety, safety of properties, public mobility and overall law and order in the capital ahead of the Victory Day, Dhaka Metropolitan Police offered the BNP historic Suhrawardy Udyan, which has enough space for large gathering, as the venue for its public meeting.
The BNP, however, turned down the offer under the pretext that it would not have enough time for preparing the venue, as Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League was scheduled to hold its national council on December 8 at the same venue.
According to the letter, in a goodwill gesture, the ruling party decided to bring forward the BCL’s council and hold it on December 6 to give the BNP enough time to prepare the venue. BNP leaders, however, insisted on holding the meeting on the busy road in front of its Nayapaltan party office without showing any good reason.
Nayapaltan is one of the busiest areas in Dhaka with numerous public and private offices, business outlets and residential buildings. Even a small gathering in the area seriously reduces public mobility and leads to traffic jams in the entire city, it said.
“Thus, holding such a large political meeting there would risk public safety and security, security of properties, as well as public mobility severely. “In assessing the situation, police also took into account the unprovoked vandalism done by BNP activists during their unauthorised gathering in Nayapaltan on December 7, 2022, that resulted in severe injuries of police personnel and the death of a passerby.”
The DMP was then working even on alternative venues as the BNP did not want to hold the public meeting at Suhrawardy Udyan. Senior AL leaders also sought an amicable solution to the venue issue.
“Presumably, BNP leaders wanted to make a political issue out of the venue. Their objective was to create anarchy on the busy public street as they did in 2014 and 2018 before the national elections,” said the letter.
“They wanted to take common people under hostage situation to make their unlawful demand,” it added.
“There was no restriction on peaceful assembly as the BNP organized nine public meetings in nine divisional districts. BNP took a ploy to press for the constitutional right to peaceful assembly through unlawful and violent means,” it continued.
 Against the above backdrop, BNP leaders and activists started gathering in front of their party office in Naya Paltan on 7th December 2022, blocking the main road though they did not have any scheduled meeting on that day or sought permission from the DMP.
 But defying police request the said people became aggressive and started attacking the police unprovoked.
 In defiance of lawful and reasonable restrictions imposed by DMP, BNP leaders resorted to vandalism and anarchy. Police later seized 160 sacks of rice from the BNP party office.
 According to the Police, cocktails were also found in BNP party office. The circumstantial evidence shows that the actual plan of the BNP was to occupy the street forcefully and unlawfully three days prior to the scheduled public gathering. The rice was brought to feed the activists for three days, it added.
 Regarding the arrest of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and a standing committee member Mirza Abbas, the letter said, “This was found in initial investigation that the two leaders of BNP have been involved in planning deliberate violence and chaos by instigating their party workers to attack law enforcement agents.”
 No one is above law. It was evident from their recent statements and also from the initial investigations, BNP senior leaders have been trying to instigate their activists to attack the police and create a chaotic situation.
 Despite having lawful options to exercise their right to peaceful assembly, BNP leaders did not show their willingness to respect the law. Their target was to invite a vested quarter to power unconstitutionally by creating an anarchic situation, the letter mentioned.
 In the end, the letter said, “The Government would not allow deliberate violence and vandalism by anybody that are threats to public security and the law-and-order situation in the country.”
BSS adds: State Minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam yesterday said the foreign ministry has sent letters to overseas missions here informing diplomats the true facts regarding incidents that took place on December 10th and 7th centering BNP’s rally.
 “This (sending letter) is nothing new … as per the diplomatic norms, the foreign ministry always informs the foreign diplomats here regarding major incidents that occur in the country,” he told media after attending a roundtable discussion at Jatiya Press Club in the capital this afternoon.
 The state minister said the foreign ministry sent letters to the foreign missions in Dhaka instead of arranging any briefing for the foreign diplomats.
 He said the foreign ministry wanted to let the foreign diplomats know about the true facts as BNP leaders have been paying visits to different foreign missions here with misinformation after December 10th.
 Through the letter, Alam said, the foreign ministry also informed the foreign missions about the background of arresting BNP leaders.
 “We wanted to let them (diplomats) know the true fact before anyone asks us regarding the matter,” he said, adding that the government always wanted to let BNP hold a peaceful rally in Dhaka as like as the opposition party held rallies in other divisional cities.
 Alam said BNP had chosen December 10th for its rally as their lobbyists, being paid millions of US dollars, assured them that Bangladesh would get sanctions by some western countries on December 9th ahead of international human rights day.
The state minister attended the roundtable discussion titled “Importance of Digital Literacy to combat Hate Speech and Misinformation” jointly organized by Women Journalist Network, Bangladesh (WJNB) and Canadian High Commission in Dhaka.
 Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Lilly Nicholls joined the discussion as the Special Guest.