Thousands of leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have gathered in the Naya Paltan area of Dhaka as the party holds a rally to mark the International Day of Democracy.
However, people started to gather in the area with small rallies from 12:30pm.
Small pockets of rallies held by the BNP and its associate bodies could also be seen in different parts of the capital including Nayapaltan, Kakrail, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Vijayanagar, Fakirapool, and Arambagh areas, resulting in some gridlock. Traffic has come to a standstill on both sides of the VIP road. They were seen holding the party flag and national flags, banners, festoons in their hands.
Not only in Dhaka, people also held rallies in different cities in the country since the morning.
Party acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman is expected to attend virtually as the chief guest, while BNP Standing Committee members and senior leaders are expected to speak under the chairmanship of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The rallies are being held a month after the day of the Bangla Blockade – the initial movement which eventually deposed Sheikh Hasina – which began on 17 July.
BNP standing committee member AZM Zahid Hossain, after a joint meeting with the party leaders at its central office at Nayapaltan in Dhaka on Friday, announced that they would be holding two rallies. One would be at the Central Shaheed Minar to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the recent student-led mass uprising and another rally to mark International Democracy Day at the Nayapaltan.
Earlier on 15 September, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, claimed that 422 of 875 martyrs of the July-August protests were affiliated with the BNP.
"There is no room to undermine BNP's contribution here. The July-August movement didn't suddenly emerge, rather it was part of BNP's long-standing struggle," he said.
END/BR