The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The BNP-led four-party alliance's submission of a memorandum to the Chief Adviser at his office was spoiled due to impediment created by the police yesterday.

Contingents of police hemmed in the alliance leaders and activist gathered on the NAM flats premises in the city from morning to 1:00pm and spoiled its defiant road march towards the Chief Adviser's office by putting up barricades all around.

They chanted slogans for the release of Khaleda. Platoons of policemen took position in front of the accesses to the flats. The riot police deployed water cannons outside the main entrance.

The police charged mild batons on the alliance's activists when they tried to move out to demonstrate political protest on the street under the state of emergency. About 10 people were injured.

Earlier in the morning, BNP leaders and workers assembled in front of the NAM flat of BNP secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain for the march, despite a police order issued Wednesday prohibiting such street demonstrations.

The coalition earlier had announced that they would submit a memorandum to the Chief Adviser through a procession, starting from the premises of the grave of late President Major Ziaur Rahman, demanding immediate release of detained former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and her elder son Tarique Rahman and withdrawal of the state of emergency.

Following the announcement, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Wednesday night barred the BNP-led 4-party alliance from staging their planed street protest, saying that such a programme would be in violation of the Emergency Power Rules.

"The government has unlawfully banned our peaceful programme with a dishonest motive. The behaviour of police toward the 4-party alliance is step-motherly and hostile," BNP secretary general Adv Khandker Delwar told reporters at his NAM apartment after the failed march programme.

He condemned the police action and alleged that the government was deliberately trying to foil the general election.

Referring to another political party's submission of memorandum to the Chief Adviser, he said their programmes were not disrupted this way. Police didn't block them although they, on various occasions, staged demonstrations and brought out procession chanting slogans.

"The government behaved with partisan attitude by obstructing our programme and the police stopped the peaceful programme of the 4-party alliance issuing a press notes," he said.

"Although the government banned us from submitting the 18-point charter of demands, addressed to the Chief Adviser, now it was placed through the reporters before the nation," he said.

The demands include unconditional release of BNP chief Khaleda Zia, sending her elder son Tarique Rahman abroad for treatment, holding parliamentary polls first, lifting emergency, curbing price hike of essentials, halting arrests and 'harassment', release of all political prisoners and thwarting 'a special quarter's interference in political and electoral processes'.

BNP leaders Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui, MK Anwar, Sarwari Rahman, Selima Rahman, Nazrul Islam Khan and Rizvi Ahmed, Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Jamaat leaders Kader Mollah, ATM Azharul Islam and Moulana Delwar Hossain Saidee, BJP secretary general Shamim Al Mamun and Islami Okya Jote secerary general Abdul Latif Nezami, and Kelafat Mojlish Ameer Moulana Ishaq and secretary general Ahmed Abdul Qader, among others, joined the programme.

Besides, large number of various fronts' leaders of the parties including Jubadal, Chhatra Dal, Mahila Dal, Muktijoddha Dal and Chhatra Shibir joined the programme.