Dhaka, Oct 17 (V7N) — Tension has escalated in the capital after the July fighters entered the Parliament building premises on Friday morning, taking position in front of the stage prepared for the July Charter signing ceremony.

At around 10:30 am, the protesters climbed over the gates of the Parliament complex and sat on the chairs arranged near the main stage. They have placed three key demands — amendment of the July Charter, permanent inclusion of the Charter into the Constitution, and formal recognition of the July fighters in the document.

Witnesses said the group had been demonstrating outside the main gate of the Parliament since Thursday night, later moving inside the restricted area in the morning. A representative of the organizing committee took the microphone and urged the protesters to remain calm, while multiple police teams rushed to the scene to prevent further escalation.

The July Charter signing ceremony is scheduled to be attended by the Chief Advisor of the Interim Government, members of the National Consensus Commission, and representatives from 30 political parties.

However, the National Citizens Party (NCP) has announced that it will boycott the signing, arguing that a Charter without a legal foundation or clear implementation assurance would be “meaningless.”

Meanwhile, the Consensus Commission remains hopeful that all parties will eventually endorse the document. The commission has stated that there will be opportunities to sign the Charter later and that a comprehensive set of implementation recommendations will be submitted to the interim government within its term, ending October 31.

With the unexpected intervention by the July fighters, uncertainty now looms over whether today’s much-anticipated Charter signing ceremony can proceed smoothly.

END/SMA/AJ