The BNP office has been abandoned, heavily guarded and padlocked for a month now.
Fearing arrests, leaders and activists have mostly avoided the area in and around its Nayapaltan headquarters, and few of those who tried making their presence felt have been subsequently held and dealt with, alleged party leaders.
Even a month ago, a festive mood prevailed in the place with thousands of BNP activists chanting anti-government slogans to press their demand for the government`s resignation and election under a non-partisan government.
The vibrant scene changed following the violence centring the party`s October 28 rally. The rally was foiled within 1 hour and 38 minutes due to clashes between party activists and police.
Now, policemen in two groups guard the office round the clock.
Meanwhile, BNP is holding press conferences virtually from "undisclosed locations", with party leaders alleging police are preventing them from entering their office.
During a visit this afternoon, a chair with at least seven Bangla newspapers on it was visible through the collapsible gate, and the front desk and surroundings were covered in thick layers of dust. No activists were seen nearby, although a countrywide blockade called by the party was underway.
However, this newspaper saw one Mohiuddin Ahmed waiting outside, searching for his brother who is a BNP activist. The 50-year-old claimed police didn`t allow him to come near the party gate for a month until today.
"Today, no one stopped me from standing outside the main entrance," he said.
Nearby garage owner Anis Miah, 50, said he has been running business here for over five years. "Before October 28, party activists crowded the place till midnight. Now, not a single person can even stand in front of the entrance."
Nurul Amin, who has been running a tea stall next to the office for seven years, said, "My daily sales hover between Tk 6,000 and Tk 7,000. It went past Tk 10,000 when the BNP was holding events. But after October 28, it plummeted to Tk 1,000 or a little more."
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