BNP allowed to hold indoor programme on Jan 5

BNP was denied permission of holding a rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on January 5.

The party sought the permission from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police for holding the rally to mark what it calls "the democracy-killing day" on January 5, the fourth anniversary of the parliamentary election in 2014.

"We are denied permission of holding the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan but allowed to arrange an indoor programme on the day," Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, publicity affairs secretary of BNP, told The Daily Star.

"As an alternative, we sought permission to hold the rally in front of our Nayapaltan central office but police didn’t give the consent for the rally," he said after holding a meeting with the DMP authorities this afternoon.

Abdus Salam and Abul Khoyer Bhuiyan, advisers to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, also joined the meeting.

BNP's high ups will unveil the next decision in this regard through a press conference scheduled to be held at the party's Nayapaltan headquarters tomorrow, Annie told The Daily Star after emerging from the meeting.

The last parliamentary election was held on January 5, 2014, in which many political parties including the then opposition BNP boycotted the polls.

Since then, BNP has been observing the day as the “black day and democracy killing day” while the ruling Awami League observing the day as “Victory of the Democracy Day.”