Staff Reporter :
People from different professions, particularly teachers, students and transport workers, on Thursday staged demonstrations in city and parts of the country protesting against violence and arson attacks during the hartal-blockade of the BNP-led 20-party alliance. Under different banners, they also arranged various programmes, including human chain. Hundreds of teachers and students, carrying placards and white flags, marched towards BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in the city in the morning seeking exemption of education, particularly the SSC examinations, from the purview of hartal and blockade. They held the programme under the banners of Bangladesh Technical Education Teachers’ Federation (BTETF) and Bangladesh Karigori Shikhkak Samity Federation (BKSSF). Earlier, the teachers and students gathered at Gulshan-2 crossing and marched towards Khaleda Zia’s office from there. They stayed in front of the office for some time and handed two separate memorandums to the BNP chief’s office in favour of their demands. In the memorandums, they demanded immediate withdrawal of hartal and blockade for the sake of the country and the education.
“The students can’t go to the exam halls. People are being burnt death in bomb attack. The nation’s future is at the brink of ruining,” said BTETF President Abdus Sattar.
Mohammadpur Shyamoli Ideal Polytechnic Institute’s (MSIPI) Instructor Sheikh Morshed said that the current political situation is hampering the students’ education. MSIPI second-year student Md Sharif said that his year final exams were supposed to end on January 26, which has been now shifted to February 8. “Now we hear that there might be a strike on that day too. What will we do now?” he said. Teachers and students of different schools have been forming human chain in front of the Gulshan office since last week urging Khaleda Zia not to enforce hartal and blockade programmes during the SSC examinations.
After the teachers and students had left the Gulshan office, a group of transport workers also staged demonstrations wearing burial clothes demanding withdrawal of the ongoing hartal and blockade, as these political progrmmes are badly affecting tier livelihood.
The workers threatened to continue the programme until withdrawal of the countrywide blockade. They staged the demonstration under the banner of Bangladesh Sammilito Gari Chalak & Sramik Samity. “
We will remain on the street until the BNP chief calls off the countrywide blockade and hartal,” said Mujibur Rahman, president of the organisation.. Meanwhile, at least two crude bombs went off near the gathering but there was no report of injuries in the incident.
In another development, students from 40 schools located at Badda and its adjacent areas formed a human chain on the Rampura-Badda road.
On the other hand, Sramik Karmachari Peshajibi Muktijodhha Samannya Parisad (SKPMSP), Bangladesh Truck-Coveredvan Malik Samity and Bangladesh Chhatra League jointly observed protest by forming human chains across the country at noon. They blew horn and whistle across the country for 15 minutes.
In the city, the SKPMSP formed human chain adjacent to the Bangladesh Secretariat. Convener of SKPMSP and Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif and others joined the human chain. The participants condemned and blasted the 20-party alliance for their heinous attacks on motor vehicles and killing innocent people by petrol bombs in the name of blockade and hartal across the country.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan criticised Khaleda Zia for throwing petrol bombs on innocent people and arson attacks on motor vehicles. He said joint efforts would be made to resist Khaleda Zia’s terrorist activities.
Urging the BNP chief for stopping killing and arson attack, Hasanul Haq Inu said Khaleda Zia is attacking people like 1971 brutality.
Awami Swechhasebok League organised the protest rally in front of the National Press Club in the city, while Garment Sramik Samannya Parisad formed human chain on the same against the hartal and blockade.
Meanwhile, Imran H Sarker-led faction of Ganajagaran Manch began a non-stop sit-in programme at Shahbagh in the city to press home its six-point demand. The demands include banning the Jamaat-Shibir politics, stopping ongoing violence and ensuring hassle-free SSC examinations. The supporters of the faction started thronging Shahbagh intersection in the morning.
The other faction of the Ganajagaran Manch, led by Kamal Pasha Chowdhury, also gathered at the Shahbagh intersection, by the venue of the sit-in programme, in the afternoon and held a rally there.
