BNP to hold rally in Khulna Saturday, public transport suspended

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Transport movement in 18 routes will remain suspended for 24 hours from Friday evening as the de facto opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is scheduled to hold a divisional grand rally in Khulna.

BNP will organise the rally in front of its Khulna headquarters on Saturday noon. The party did not get permission to organise the rally from the concerned authorities until Friday morning.

Transport owners’ association did not mention any specific reason to stop the movement. They, however, said that the decision to suspend the movement of public transport on as many as 18 routes in Khulna from 6:00pm on Friday has been taken to avoid any untoward incident during BNP’s divisional grand rally on Saturday.

News agency UNB adds: Anwar Hossain Sona, joint secretary of the Khulna District Bus, Minibus, Coach Owners’ Association, said, “There is a possibility of chaos at the BNP rally. So, no public transport will either leave or enter the city for 24 hours from 6:00pm on Friday.”

Mahanagar BNP president Nazrul Islam Monju has flayed the decision. “It’s undemocratic. Stopping public transport can’t prevent us from holding our assembly.”

On 27 February, BNP is slated to hold its divisional assembly in Khulna led by former mayoral candidates in six cities of the country, in demand for free and fair civic elections and Begum Khaleda Zia’s release.

BNP vice-chairman barrister Shahjahan Omar Bir Uttam will address the assembly as the chief guest. BNP senior vice chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu, vice chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury and joint secretary general Moazzem Hossain Alal will attend the programme as special guests.