Staff Reporter :At least 25 leaders and activists of the Ganatantrik Bam Morcha (GBM), a platform of left leaning organisations, were injured as the police charged batons on them when they reached the Bus Stand area of Magura district town with a rally named ‘Dhaka-Sundarbans Road March’ on Saturday. The injured leaders and activists including the platform Coordinator Saiful Huq of Biplobi Worker’s Party, Zonayed Saki, Convener of Ganosanghati Andolon and Mushrefa Mishu, President of Biplobi Democratic Party, were sent to local clinics for treatment. The GBM Magura district Coordinator Rashekuzzaman Farid told The New Nation that police scraped our banner and festoons and hit the leaders and activists of the platform when the marchers were preparing for scheduled rally in front of Magura Municipality at 12.30pm.Denying the allegations, Magura Sadar Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Munshi Asaduzzaman said, “We did not charge baton but dispersed them only for creating gridlock in the area. However, he did not answer how the leaders-activists got injured.Zonayed Saki, Convener of Ganoshanghati Andolon said, they were protesting the disastrous plan taken by the government to establish coal-fired Rampal power plant near the Sundarbans which will devastate the forests. “Government forces cordon off our vehicles to shut our demand, violating constitutional rights of people,” he said. Zonayed Saki said, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won Champions of the Earth award. If her government initiates such disasterous step to ruin the Sundarbans, she should return the award. Police tortured marchers, cordoned off our vehicles, but we will continue our march towards the Sundarbans for the people of Bangladesh. Protest is our democratic rights by constitution.” Earlier, on Friday, the police charged batons on them when they reached the base of Shaheed Muktijoddha Smritiestambha in Manikganj and were trying to arrange a rally there in the afternoon. At least 15 leaders and activists of GBM were injured in the incident. The injured leaders and activists, including General Secretary of Ganotantrik Biplobi Party, were sent to different hospitals for treatment. Democratic Left Alliance, a platform of eight left political parties, launched their three-day road march from National Press Club in the capital protesting coal-based Rampal power plant project in the Sundarbans area on Friday.Earlier at a rally, National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports Member-Secretary Anu Muhammad said that the people would not accept the Rampal thermal power plant as it was destructive to the Sunderbans.More than 500 protesters brought out a procession in the capital before starting the road march.The leaders of the left leaning alliance will address roadside rallies on the way to Rampal in Bagerhat during the road march. The protesters will hold their final rally at Katakhali in Bagerhat on October 18.
