‘Undeclared’ transport strike in Mymensingh ahead of BNP rally

The BNP said that an “undeclared” transportation strike was imposed in Mymensingh Division ahead of the party’s anti-government rally on Saturday.

BNP’s Organising Secretary Syed Imran Saleh Prince told UNB that such a strike was orchestrated by authorities to prevent the BNP activists and leaders from joining the rally on Saturday afternoon on the premises of the Polytechnic Institute in Mymensingh.

He said their party activists from different districts, including Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrakona and Kishoreganj, faced challenges to join the rally as the bus service remained suspended on inter-district routes “at the behest of the government” since morning.

But the bus operators said many bus companies suspended their operations fearing damage to their vehicles as such things happened during recent BNP rally in Chattogram.

“Our leaders and activists are still coming to the rally by walking or by motorcycles, personal cars or other smaller vehicles. Many private vehicles that were hired earlier to come to Mymensing suddenly declined to carry our people, showing an excuse of safety,” Prince told UNB.

As part of the BNP’s planned divisional rallies, the party’s Mymensingh city unit has arranged the rally that will formally begin at 2pm. It will be the party’s second divisional rally as the first one was held in Chattogram on October 12.

Mahbubur Rahman, General Secretary of Mymensingh District Motor Owners Association, told UNB that the vehicle owners stopped the transport service on safety grounds as many vehicles were vandalised during the BNP’s rally in Chhattogram.

Masum Ahmed Bhunya, Police Superintendent of Mymensingh, said they took adequate security measures to maintain law and order and fend off any untoward incidents

On September 27, the BNP announced to hold public division-level rallies in 10 cities, in protest against the ongoing power crisis, unusual price hikes in daily essentials and the killing of five opposition activists in police firing in Bhola, Narayanganj, Munshiganj and Jashore during anti-government protests by the party.

The party will conclude the divisional rallies through a huge gathering in Dhaka city on December 10.