Dhaka: Bangladesh on Sunday slapped a ban on political rallies for a month to maintain law and order in the wake of deadly protests by Islamists that left at least 28 people dead earlier in May 2013. "Some political parties have caused a law and order problem in the name of holding their programmes. Hence, no one would be allowed to hold any kind of rally for the next one month," Home Minister Mahiuddin Khan Alamgir said.
"We (however) admit that one has a right to hold rallies and public meetings, but we wave to impose the restriction in the interest of maintaining law and order," he said. Ruling Awami League general secretary and local government minister Syed Ashraful Islam, however, said the decision was taken for smoother relief operations as the country's southeastern coastlines were battered by a cyclone two days ago.
"It is not possible to protect the fundamental rights like meeting and rally when the country was hit by any natural disaster," he told reporters, adding that the ruling party too came under the purview of the ban. Meanwhile reacting to the decision, opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party called the decision undemocratic and alleged it was aimed to gouge the opposition voice. The decision to ban political rallies came after radical group Hefazat-e-Islami enforced Dhaka siege on May 5 as part of their mission to "protect Islam".
BNP chief Khaleda Zia who is leading an anti-government campaign over electoral system on that day had issued a statement asking party leaders and activists to stand by the Hefazat. The government, however, alleged that the BNP's crucial ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, whose leaders are facing war crimes trial for human rights violation during the 1971 liberation war, was behind the violence and the two opposition parties are using Hefazat to create difficult situations for the government.
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