BNP must hold rally in Mirpur Bangla College ground, nowhere else: DB chief

If BNP is to hold a rally, it must do so in the Mirpur Bangla College ground, said chief Detective Branch (DB) of police, Mohammad Harun Or Rashid.

Harun Or Rashid was speaking to journalists at 11:30 Friday morning in front of the DB office.

He said that the BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul and the party's standing committee member Mirza Abbas were being interrogated at the DB office.

The DB chief said that BNP had been given this offer regarding the venue for its rally. He said that the Kamalapur Bir Shrestha Shahid Sipahi Mohammad Mustafa Kamal Stadium was not suitable for a rally.

After lengthy talks on Thursday night between the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner and a BNP delegation, Bir Shrestha Shaheed Sipahi Mohammad Mustafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur and the Government Bangla College ground in Mirpur were highlighted as possible venues for the rally.

Both the sides had discussed these venues, according to sources.

BNP sources said even during discussions with the DMP commissioner on Thursday, BNP was again told to hold the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan. The alternatives cited were the Tongi Ijtema ground and Kalshi in Mirpur.

The BNP leaders first wanted permission to hold the rally at Naya Paltan, then Arambagh, Central Model School ground, the National Eidgah ground and then the Kamalapur stadium.

During the discussions, Government Bangla College ground in Mirpur cropped up as a possible venue. Both sides agreed that Kamalapur Stadium and the Bangla College ground were suitable venues.

BNP vice chairman Barkatulla said, Kamalpur Stadium was their first choice. However, on Friday, the DB chief said that the Kamalapur Stadium was not suitable for a rally.