The protesters burned effigies of Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Hoque, demanding the government to discharge the minister for alleged disparaging remarks about the Hindu community in Nasirngar and in general after they were attacked.
Dhaka University Students blocked the road at capital’s Shahbagh intersection area protesting the recent communal attacks and demanded punishment for those responsible for the countrywide attacks on minorities, especially Brahmanbaria’s Nasirnagar incident.
On Friday afternoon, around 500 students blocked the road under the banners of several students associations of the university.
The roads in the adjoining areas were closed due to the demonstration and traffic was not moving.
People passing by also joined in this protest and demanded justice for the communal attacks on the minorities.
Shahbagh police officer in-charge (OC) Abu Bakar Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune of the necessary security measures taken including police being deployed to avoid any untoward incidents. They also showed support by not barring the demonstration and not detaining anyone.
“However, we did try to calm the protesters down and tried to move them from the roads being blocked,” he said.
The demonstration began around 10am at Jagannath Hall by a group of Hindu students from Dhaka University.
The protesters marched from TSC’s Doel Chattar to the National Press Club, where non-student protesters also joined. The protesters proceeded to Shahbagh where they blocked the roads.
They were joined by even more groups at the National Museum who were protesting over the same issue.
The student protesters said they had six demands from the government over the Nasirnagar attack
Meanwhile, the traffic remained stagnant from Motsho Bhaban to Ruposhi Bangla intersection as Katabon and the university area remained blocked for hours.
Rudra Roy, a student from DU said: “Minorities are always mistreated because radical religious groups show the impudence of attacking minorities is never put to justice by the system. Never!”
Before the protesters left the road on Friday evening around 6:30pm, the convenor of the protest Manik Rokkit said they are giving the government three days to act on the six demands.
Manik said the protest will continue until their demands are met.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
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