Police foil BNP’s black flag demo, Alal, 20 others detained

Police on Saturday foiled the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) black flag procession in front of its Naya Paltan central office protesting at the denial of permission for a rally in the capital.

When the BNP leaders and activists tried to gather in front of their central office at 9:30am police chased them and arrested 20 of them including joint secretary general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal.

Law enforcers picked him up when he came out of the office after holding a press conference there, reports UNB.

Earlier on 22 February, the BNP announced the programme protesting at the denial of permission for its planned rally on Thursday demanding the release of party chairperson Khaleda Zia from jail.

“We’d sought police permission to organise a public rally on 22 February either at Suhrawardy Udyan or in front of our Naya Paltan office. We’d also taken all necessary preparations. But the police didn’t give us permission,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press conference at the party’s central office on Wednesday.

On 8 February, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was sent to jail after a special court sentenced her to five years’ rigorous imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.