Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali warned on Friday that law enforcers would take action if anyone, including the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), tries to create sabotage during several programmes in the month of February.
About Chhatra League's programmes in February, he said they (Chhatra League) may announce programmes but police will foil those programmes.
"We have arrested many leaders of Chhatra League. If they (Chhatra League) try to launch any programme, we will take steps to prevent those," he told the media after inspecting the overall security measures taken on the occasion of the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair in the capital.
He said that they were keeping vigilance to thwart any untoward incident centering the book fair this year.
He added suspicious persons who might create any untoward incident during the book fair are now under police surveillance.
He said that they have requested the Bangla Academy authorities not to allow display of any provocative books at the month-long Ekushey Book Fair.
About wildcat protests on the city roads in recent days he said, "I would request them (protesters), please don't blockade the roads for realising small demands. You better stay on footpaths. But with great sadness it appears that staging blockade on city roads has become an effective tool for realising demands. It takes seven hours to reach Motijheel from Uttara in the city, a horrible situation."
"We have changed our professional approach after political changeover. I and our Inspector General of Police (IGP) have apologised to you (to the people). We have said that we don't like to kill anyone and also we (police) don't prefer to embrace the same (death)," he said.
He said that he would not approve the use of force or baton-charge to disperse the protesters.
It has been witnessed in recent days that the protesters announce blockade on the capital's roads for realising their demands, he added.
To this effect, he said that they have instructed police personnel to "humbly request" the protesters not to block roads.
"We are not the British police. As the police of Bangladesh, we couldn't use baton on our own people," he asserted.
Responding to a query whether there was any political link with the protests recently held in the capital, he said, "No, we are yet to get that type of information."
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
