Left organisations suspend mass procession
Several left-leaning organisations of students and cultural and labour rights activists on Saturday suspended their scheduled mass procession in the face of obstructions and instead held a brief rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in the morning.
The programme was announced as part of the ongoing countrywide movement against rape and other forms of violence against women and demand for the removal of the home adviser.
Saturday鈥檚 mass procession was announced by Bangladesh Students鈥� Union, Bangladesh Juba Union, Socialist Student Front, Bangladesh Chhatra League-Jasod faction, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi, Charon Sangskritik Sangsad, Kendrio Khelaghar Asar, Samajtantrik Mahila Forum, Bangladesh Khetmajur Samity, Parbatya Chattogram Janasamhati Samity鈥檚 student wing Pahari Chhatra Parishad and Bangladesh Trade Union Kendra. The leaders and activists of these organisations held a protest rally at the Central Shaheed Minar instead of the pre-announced procession.
The mass procession was scheduled to begin in front of the Central Shaheed Minar at about 11:00am after which it was supposed to march towards VC Chattar and end at Teacher-Student Centre on the Dhaka University campus.
Bangladesh Students鈥� Union president Mahid Shahriar Reza announced suspension of their processions on Saturday morning after Inquilab Mancha, a platform supporting the July-August student-mass uprising, brought out a procession heading towards Central Shaheed Minar from Shahbagh that was intercepted by the police near Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture.
Following police requests, they returned to the National Museum and suspended their march, 抖阴精品 correspondent in DU reported.
Concluding its four-day programme in front of the national museum, Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Bin Hadi announced that a month-long mass signature campaign would be held, pressing for a two-point demand for banning Awami League and holding immediate trial for the perpetrators of July massacre and Shapla Chattar killings, from March 17 to April 17. He also said that a 鈥榤artyrs鈥� rally鈥� would be held at Shahbagh on April 25 at 3:00pm.
At the rally at Central Shaheed Minar, Bangladesh Chhatra Union president Mahid Shahriar Reza who chaired the event said that they suspended the mass procession considering the overall situation.
鈥楢 quarter is trying to create an anarchic situation centring our programme. Members of the intelligence agencies have been making phone calls since yesterday asking us not to hold the programme or shorten it. We want to clearly say that we refuse to surrender to any intimidations of attacks,鈥� he said.
Stating that an extremist group was making all sorts of effort to foil the anti-rape movement and hatching conspiracies to divert the direction of the movement, Students鈥� Union president Mahid Shahriar Reza said that the ousted fascist Awami League government dreamed of coming to power using the movement.
He also demanded removal of the home adviser alleging his failure to maintain law and order situation.
While reading out a statement, Socialist Students鈥� Front general secretary Raihan Uddin raised a seven-point demand charter鈥攅nsuring justice for all rapes, murder and torture against women and children, including the Magura victim; removal of home adviser; trial of the perpetrators of the killings of July-August uprising; bringing to justice perpetrators of mob violence targeting mosques, temples and shrines; bringing the perpetrators of the attacks on houses of religious and national minorities; bringing the killers of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif to justice; and ensuring justice for the murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, Tonu and Munia.聽
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch chief Rezaul Karim Mallick, however, when asked, denied the allegations of making phone calls by intelligence agencies, saying that the detective branch did not call anyone to tell them not to hold the protest or shorten their programme.聽
Ganosanhati Andolan and Students Federation of Bangladesh in separate statements on Saturday condemned the alleged arrest attempt of the federation president Mashiur Rahman Khan Richard and police attack on the anti-rape protesters marching towards the chief adviser鈥檚 official residence Jamuna on March 11.
Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust in a statement demanded effective implementation of the legal system and protection of the victims.
Protest against rape and violence against women rolled into the ninth consecutive day on Saturday.
Widespread protests sparked after the eight-year-old child was raped and sustained fatal injuries on March 6 at her sister鈥檚 in-laws鈥� home in Magura.
The child died at about 1:00pm on Thursday while undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka.
Leaders of the Antifascism Left Alliance, a combine of six left political parties, at a rally in front of the National Press Club called on the interim government to take immediate measures to stop repression of children and women.
Leaders of Gonoforum at a rally in front of the National Press Club said that the interim government had failed to control law and order situation.
Leaders of the women wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e Islami at a rally in front of the National Press Club also demanded arrest and exemplary punishment of those responsible for rapes and repression of women.
Leaders of Bangladesh Khelaghar Asar formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club, demanding stern punishment for perpetrators of violence against women and children.
A group of cultural activists under the platform of 鈥楢rtists鈥� collective protest against violence, rape and oppression against women鈥� held a protest at the Raju Memorial Sculpture on the DU campus on Saturday evening.