DHAKA, Bangladesh: The opposition in Bangladesh is observing “Democracy Killing Day” across the country on Monday in protest against alleged rigging in last year general elections.
The country-wide rallies have been called to mark a year since the parliamentary elections that the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) led by Khalida Zia and its allies had boycotted, alleging the ruling party would rig the vote.
Earlier on Sunday, Khalida Zia was locked in her office in Dhaka to refrain her from participating in the protest while the authorities imposed an indefinite ban on all meetings, processions and rallies in the capital.
“All indoor and outdoor meetings, rallies and human chains will be banned for an indefinite period in the capital city from Sunday evening to avoid any untoward situation,” the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) spokesperson Monirul Islam said.
Meanwhile, the paramilitary soldiers have been deployed in Dhaka on Monday to thwart any untoward incident over the opposition’s plans to hold rallies defying police bans.
The sources said that the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) troops deployment has been done initially in a limited scale but the force have been asked to remain ready to carry out any further order.
The current Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League won the parliamentary elections held on January 5 last year. The BNP-led opposition parties boycotted the polls, fearing that they would be rigged in the absence of a neutral caretaker administration which had organized previous polls.
