Dhaka, Dec 08 (V7N)— A protest march organized by three associate bodies of the BNP — Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Swechchasebak Dal, and Chhatra Dal — was halted by police near Rampura Bridge on Sunday afternoon. The authorities intervened to maintain law and order as thousands of protesters advanced toward the Indian High Commission.
The march, which began from BNP's Nayapaltan central office at 11:30 am, was organized to protest the attack on the Bangladesh mission in Agartala, the desecration of the national flag, and what the BNP described as an Indian plot to incite communal unrest in Bangladesh.
The march was stopped near Rampura Bridge around 12:35 pm, where police set up barricades. Officers urged the protesters to cooperate, allowing a six-member delegation to proceed to the Indian High Commission to submit a memorandum.
The delegation included:
Monayem Munna, Central President, Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal
Nurul Islam Nayan, General Secretary, Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal
SM Jilani, President, Jatiyatabadi Swechchasebak Dal
Rajib Ahsan, General Secretary, Jatiyatabadi Swechchasebak Dal
Rakibul Islam Rakib, President, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal
Nasir Uddin Nasir, General Secretary, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal
Protesters Condemn Alleged Indian Interference
Before the march began, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi delivered a fiery speech accusing India of undermining Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
He alleged that India’s ruling party and media are attempting to disrupt religious harmony in Bangladesh and that efforts to support Sheikh Hasina’s government amount to “direct aggression.” Rizvi declared, “The 180 million people of Bangladesh are prepared to resist Delhi’s hegemony.”
Protesters carried national flags, festoons, and banners with anti-India slogans, emphasizing their discontent with recent incidents and remarks from Indian politicians and media.
The protest follows an alleged attack on the Bangladesh mission in Agartala and the desecration of the national flag. The BNP accuses India of interfering in Bangladesh’s internal affairs and fostering unrest.
The program concluded peacefully with the submission of the memorandum, though the protest march highlighted growing tensions between the BNP and India over perceived political and diplomatic provocations.
END/MSS/AJ
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