BNP office kept locked and cordoned off BNP secretary general Delwar barred from entry

Dhaka, Sep 10 (UNB)-Despite lifting ban on indoor politics, new BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain and his colleagues were shut out from their party central office today (Monday). BNP Assistant Office Secretary Rizvee Ahmed went to the Police Commissioner’s office and waited two hours and a half there, but didn’ t get permission to open the party office put under lock and key when the ban on politics had been slapped under the state of emergency. More than 100 helmeted police were posted outside the BNP central office at Naya Paltan where hundreds of party workers thronged since 9 am. BNP standing-committee member R.A Gani, ex-MPs Maj (Retd) Akhtaruzzaman, Sohrab Uddin, Shirin Sultana, Helen Zerin Khan, Rehana Akhtar Ranu, Saimun Begum, Fahima Hossain Jubilee, Bilkis Shirin, Adv Wahida and Nurjahan Yasmin Bulbul were present outside the office. Delwar posed a question to the government why he was not allowed to work in his party office despite the withdrawal of ban on indoor politics. “Why permission will be required for the BNP secretary general to work in his party office? We’ve come to the office, but the main gate of the office is kept locked,” he said addressing the crowd of party leaders and workers outside. Delwar, who came to the office premises at about 1:30pm, said he heard that Awami League office was opened but why BNP office was kept shut preventing what he said thousands of party workers from getting in. Referring to government orders relating to indoor politics, he said permission would be required for holding meeting and not for doing office work. The newly appointed BNP secretary general alleged that the police themselves violated the law while the government could not keep its own announcement of lifting ban on indoor politics. He urged BNP workers to hold patience and said, “We want continue our work by maintaining law.” Delwar and other party leaders left the office premises at about 2pm. Witnesses said BNP workers chanted slogans welcoming Delwar and condemning expelled secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, who took a defiant line for party reform in pursuance of the political purge in the interim period. However, Bhuiyan and his followers did not turn up to the office.