The Jatiya Party (JaPa) has postponed its rally and protest march that was scheduled for Saturday. The party Chairman’s Press Secretary, Khandaker Delwar Jalali, confirmed the information on Friday.
He said that the Jatiya Party had temporarily suspended its planned rally and protest march at the party’s central office on the Kakrail premises. The decision was made out of respect for the law, as the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, under the authority of Section 29 of the its ordinance, has prohibited any gathering, procession, or protest in and around Pioneer Road and Building No. 66 in Kakrail. The party will officially announce a new schedule for the programme in due course.
Earlier in the day, JaPa Chairman GM Quader had asserted that the rally would take place at any cost, expressing concern about the country’s current situation. He remarked, “The nation is not in a good state. Just as Sheikh Hasina divided the country, it is now being divided again. Thousands of people are now facing false cases.”
However, at a press conference organised under the banner of the Anti-Fascist Students, Workers, and People's Unity at Dhaka University’s TSC on Friday afternoon, Bin Yamin Molla, President of the Bangladesh Student Rights Council, stated, “Allowing Jatiya Party to hold a rally is yet another conspiracy to rehabilitate the Awami League. We cannot allow Jatiya Party to hold a rally under any circumstances.”
As tensions escalated, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Mainul Hasan issued a public notice, prohibiting all forms of gatherings, rallies, processions, and protests in the Pioneer Road and Kakrail areas. The notice stated, “This is to inform the public that, in light of the recent situation, to maintain public order, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police has exercised its authority under Section 29 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance (Ordinance No. 111-76) to prohibit all types of assemblies, rallies, processions, and demonstrations in and around Building No. 66 on Pioneer Road, Kakrail, effective on Saturday.”