Anwar Ali, Rajshahi

Police yesterday beefed up security in Rajshahi division centering a rally of the BNP, causing interruption in road communication and immense sufferings to people.

Seeking anonymity, multiple members of the bus owners’ association in the division said policemen urged them not to operate any bus on the roads.

Police, however, denied the allegations and claimed that the transport workers called for a strike.

Contacted, Golam Ruhul Quddus, additional deputy commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, said, “Three levels of security have been ensured to keep the law and order situation normal.”

Due to the BNP rally, venue-centric security has been put in place, adequate numbers of police have been deployed, and patrols have been arranged at important places in the city, he said.

Meanwhile, the BNP leaders and activists alleged that the police forced them to hold the divisional rally at a small enclosure of city’s Nice Convention Centre premises and that they were obstructed on the way to the rally.

Due to the strike that began Monday, the inter-district road communication in all eight districts of Rajshahi division and communication with the rest of the country remained snapped for the second day yesterday.

Chapainawabganj resident Nazma Begum came to Rajshahi with her children to see a doctor. She was unable to find a bus for her way back.

“I have been sitting in the terminal since morning. No buses are available. It will be a great problem if we don’t get a bus”.

Babu, a mason from Paba upazila, was waylaid by the police at Nawdapara in the morning.

“I had to walk a long way through other thoroughfares to go to the city. Many of my villagers returned home without a job,” he said.

BNP leader Tabith Awal said he was stopped in Puthia upazila at 1:00pm on his way to the rally.