Dhaka city seems to heave a sigh of relief as vehicles on the streets are few in number apparently due to flexing of muscles by two major political parties--Awami League (AL) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)--keeping in view their rallies in the capital on October 28.
Meanwhile the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, an unregistered political party, has also called upon its supporters to join a rally in a show of strength and converge at Shapla Chattar on October 28, which has been denied to them by the police administration.
The city people, resigned to their fate, are keeping their fingers crossed. Awami League, BNP and Jamaat have geared up for massive shows of strength in the capital on October 28. Fewer public transports were noticed on the streets of the capital on Thursday.
Private cars, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, microbus and CNG-run auto-rickshaws and many ride-sharing services were, however, seen plying the streets.
Police have set up checkpoints on roads leading to Dhaka from the country's north ahead of the Awami League and BNP rallies on Saturday. The checkpoints were set up at Aminbazar, Ashulia areas on Thursday, said police sources.
RAB-4 members have also set up a checkpoint in the Jahangirnagar University area on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway.
Many Dhaka-bound vehicles, mainly public transport, were searched by police at Aminbazar checkpoint between 12:00 noon and 3:00pm.
Police personnel were seen asking passengers about their destination, where they were coming from and their occupation. In some cases, police were seen checking the national identity cards of the passengers to confirm their identity.
According to police "As there are rallies of two political parties in the capital on the same day, the police check post has been set up to ensure that no one can enter Dhaka to carry out any sabotage or create chaos. The check posts will continue to operate till October 28. No one has been arrested so far," he added.
Opposition BNP is firm on holding their rally on October 28 in front of the party's Naya Paltan central office in the capital.
In a letter, the party's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi informed the police that they have already taken all preparations to hold the October 28 rally in front of the party's Naya Paltan office. And that it was not possible to shift to another venue.
The rally will begin at 2:00pm on October 28 and will end before Magrib's prayer. More than one lakh people will join the rally, the letter said.
Earlier on Wednesday night, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) sent a letter to Ruhul Kabir Rizvi informing them the dos and donts, including suggesting an alternative venue instead of Naya Paltan for Saturday's rally.
In the letter, Paltan Police Station OC Salauddin Miah requested the BNP to propose two alternative venues for the rally.
Sources say the BNP and its allied parties have initially decided to lay siege to the Secretariat on October 29 or 30. Sieges, demonstrations, sit-ins, blockades and even strikes are gradually emerging as the next programmes.
Jamaat sources say the party is determined to hold a rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel on October 28 and if the police or Awami League prevent the rally there, they will hold it at an alternative location nearby. The party has already made all preparations to accommodate a crowd of 8 to 10 lakh people.
Several senior Jamaat leaders said the party is prepared for a police attack on its rally on October 28, and has tasked its student wing Chhatra Shibir with resisting Chhatra League activists from Dhaka University.
Khandaker Enayet Ullah, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners' Association, said, "There is no plan to cut off Dhaka or stop buses on October 28. There is no such directive from the government, and we do not want to obstruct the BNP's conference either."
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday said BNP is openly threatening with violence.
"Awami League wants peace. However, if our peace rally is attacked, AL leaders and activists will not sit idle. AL is committed to protecting the lives and property of the people," he said while addressing a press briefing to discuss the inauguration of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel in Chattogram.
