Police foil BNP rocession

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Police foiled BNP's mass procession protesting against what the opposition said 'secret' killings and obstruction to demonstrations, reports bdnews24.com. Police used water canons and fired tear gas shells to disperse pro-BNP lawyers at the Nightingale intersection near the party's Naya Paltan headquarters around 3:30pm. The lawyers brought out a procession from the Old Dhaka. Fifteen minutes later, around 20 leaders and activists of the party, led by acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, brought out a procession from the party office. They managed to break the police cordon but marched some 100 yards before police intercepted them. They staged a sit-in programme instantly. "Protests cannot be barred by police," "Baton-bullet-tear gas, answer will be given by Bangladesh", were the slogans they were shouting. They returned to the office later and alleged that several opposition activists were picked up by police. "They didn't let us march. The government has violated our basic rights. They've turned Bangladesh into a police state," Alamgir said. The government was out to suppress the opposition by creating panic using police and Rapid Action Battalion, he further alleged. Earlier, police cordoned off the BNP headquarters as the party activists started gathering there for the procession.