BNP leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka takes refuge on a motorbike at Bangla Motor, abandoning a protest march towards the Election Commission yesterday. The march was announced by the main opposition to press for cancellation of Bhola-3 parliamentary by-poll result and resignation of the entire EC. It however ended halfway due to senior leaders' exhaustion. Photo: Rashed Shumon
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Staff Correspondent

A protest march of the main opposition BNP towards the Election Commission Secretariat ended halfway yesterday in the capital, not because it was obstructed by law enforcers, but because the party leaders leading the march ran out of steam.

Apparently the leaders became too exhausted to march all the way from Muktangan to the EC Secretariat in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

The march made a promising start with around 10,000 activists and supporters of the party behind their top leaders around 4:00 pm from Muktangan. The procession came across police forces at different intersections, but faced no resistance from them, which apparently surprised the BNP leaders.

By the time the procession covered about two kilometres and reached Bangla Motor, some of the top leaders had already abandoned it, and the remaining declared the march over, leaving the rest of the marchers, and journalists bewildered.

"We've ended the march peacefully because the police obstructed us, and we didn't want any confrontation," BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed to The Daily Star. But The Daily Star correspondent saw no sign of police resistance, although a large number of them were escorting it, rather cordially.

When the correspondent pointed out the reality, Alamgir just reiterated his previous claim insisting that there was police obstruction.

Police officials present at Bangla Motor said the opposition leaders themselves ended the march there.

DMP Deputy Commissioner of Ramna Zone Krishna Pada Roy also said BNP ended its programme at Bangla Motor on its own, police did not create any obstacle.

"They first told us that they would end their programme at Shishu Park at Shahbagh. But a group of leaders later said the programme would be concluded at Bangla motor," he said over the phone last night.

He also said police was ready to cooperate, if the marchers wanted to go all the way.

The BNP leaders however termed the unfinished march a "big showdown".

On the basis of The Daily Star's discussion with some of the marchers, it also seemed that the BNP leaders actually had been anticipating police resistance which would give them an excuse to stage a sit-in on the street, instead of marching all the way.

Some were also saying the route was too long, the starting point should have been somewhere nearer to the EC Secretariat.

Senior leader Mirza Abbas was seen abandoning the march on a motorbike when it reached Shahbagh intersection. Sadeque Hossain Khoka, and Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also took refuge on bikes from Shahbagh to Bangla Motor where the marchers voluntarily dispersed.

Meanwhile the half done protest aggravated the sufferings of commuters on the streets that were part of the march route from Paltan to Bangla Motor, as one lane was constantly blocked on whichever road the march was on.

BNP had announced the march demanding cancellation of the Bhola-3 parliamentary by-election result, and resignation of the entire EC.

According to a fresh programme announced by Mirza Abbas at a pre-march rally, the party will bring out processions towards district election offices all over the country on May 9 for the same demands.

Yesterday's programme started with a short rally at Muktangan at 2:30 pm. The rally started gaining strength as small processions of activists and supporters from different wards and thanas under the city corporation thronged the venue carrying anti-government banners. The slogans on the banners demanded resignation of the entire EC, and resolution of the ongoing gas, power, and water crises.

At the rally, BNP leaders said the Bhola by-poll proved that free and fair election is not possible under the present EC.

"The Election Commission must resign without any delay, as it absolutely failed to hold a free and fair election," said Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, former president of Dhaka city unit BNP.

Many other leaders including Mirza Abbas, Abdullah Al Noman, Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Zainul Abdin Farroque were also present.

A large number of police were deployed near Muktangan, at all intersections up to Bangla Motor, and at all important buildings on the way.

When the march reached Shishu Park near Shahbagh, some BNP leaders wanted to end it seeing a contingent of police ahead. But some younger leaders pursued the seniors to continue, and they did without any police obstacle.

When the top leaders finally stopped the march at Bangla Motor intersection around 5:00 pm themselves, the rest of the marchers became rather angry, some of whom wanted to carry on defying the elders. The senior leaders however successfully dampened the enthusiasm of the younger marchers, and it ended there.

Mirza Alamgir concluded the programme with a brief speech demanding immediate resignation of the EC, and accusing the government of "increasing public miseries".