Gono Odhikar Parishad (GOP) held a rally in front of its party office at Al Razi Complex in Bijoynagar on Friday afternoon, demanding that the politics of the Jatiya Party (JaPa) be banned, its registration be cancelled, and the arrest of its chairman, GM Quader.
GOP President Nurul Haque Nur called on anti-fascist parties to unite uncompromisingly against the propaganda by US- and France-based YouTubers Elias Hossain and Pinaki Bhattacharya. He also criticised some advisers for systematic extortion and rehabilitation of the Awami League and Jatiya Party.
Nur said that the Yunus-led interim government has failed to meet the peopleโs expectations. There has been no fundamental change in the past year.
โWe urged the government to modernise the divisional-level hospitals by allocating budgets. It would have helped the rural people a lot. They would not have to run to Dhaka for treatment. The hospitals and the health sector could have been changed by spending only Tk10,000 crore.โ
In the education sector, Nur said that the government did not take any steps to solve the crisis of classrooms and teachers in rural areas, did not construct new buildings, and did not stop the plundering of funds for sports equipment for schools.
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He said that the media cannot operate freely even after the July uprising. They cannot report corruption and irregularities. The journalists are threatened and forced to remove the news. Media house ownership has been illegally captured by the so-called anti-fascist forces. Senior journalists have been sacked.
Moreover, some people are giving the Awami League-linked businessmen and bureaucrats protection in exchange for money. On the other hand, the unity among the forces of the mass uprising is eroding. The division among the political parties is creating scope for the rehabilitation of the Awami League.
Some parties are sheltering the Jatiya Party and Awami businessmen and mafia to strengthen their party and win the election. This is why steps could not be taken against the Jatiya Party the way the Awami Leagueโs political activities were banned.
He criticised the army patrol on the street so that the GOP activists could not march towards the Jatiya Party office.
โ[JaPa Chairman] GM Quaderโs house is in Uttara. We have seen mobs in so many places, but none in his house.โ He asked the mob leaders why they had not carried out an attack on Quaderโs house.
โYou are conducting a selective mob. Some of the student leaders of the uprising have become professional extortionists. They are taking people hostage and collecting money to protect them. We are protesting such extortion and have become a target of propaganda.โ
Talking about US-based anarchist YouTuber Elias Hossain, who is angry with Nur for exposing his extortion from My TV, he said: โSome activists made videos during the movement while staying in safe zones or abroad. Even though the government has changed here, they do not want to return to Bangladesh.
They are now creating confusion and division among the anti-fascist forces. They are tagging BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as an agent of India. They are making videos against BNP leaders Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Salahuddin Ahmed, Jamaat leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher and even Gono Odhikar Parishad.
โThen who is left behind? What is their agenda? These scoundrels are confusing people. They talk like saints. They sometimes show support towards the madrasa students and the Islamists to maintain their view business. Is it so easy to spoil our politics by making videos? They are foolsโ
Nur said that while these YouTubers are creating division among the anti-fascist forces and confusing people, the Awami League and Jatiya Party are now laughing.
Procession, police action
After the protest rally, Nur also posted on Facebook demanding the arrest of JaPa Chairman GM Quader. He threatened to besiege the Secretariat for this demand.
Later, the GOP leaders and activists took out a procession on the road next to the Jatiya Party office in Kakrail. At that time, a coordination meeting was being held at the JaPa office. So, hearing slogans, some activists came out.
When the GOP procession came closer, a chase and counter-chase took place between the two sides. Police and army personnel dispersed them.
At around 8:30pm, the GOP leaders and activists went towards the JaPa office with a torch procession. They were also carrying sticks. In the first round, several leaders and activists of the GOP, including General Secretary Rashed Khan, were injured in the pelting of bricks.
After this incident, JaPa Secretary General Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary complained in a press conference that holding such a procession, on the demands for cancellation of its party registration and the arrest of GM Quader, was illegal.
When the situation became tense around 9:30pm, law enforcement agencies started chasing from the Bijoynagar water tank area. At that time, the GOP leaders and activists went towards their party office at Al Razi Complex. While Nur and others were preparing to hold a press conference, the police and army charged batons to remove them from the place, leaving Nur and several others injured.
Videos show at least two police members hitting Nur with sticks when he fell on the stairs beside the footpath.
He was first taken to Islami Bank Hospital and then to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). A medical board was set up for his treatment.
Government advisers, and leaders of the ruling National Citizen Party (NCP), BNP, Jamaat and others condemned the police action on Nur.
On Saturday morning, Dr. Zahid Raihan, an associate professor at the neurosurgery department of DMCH, said: โEven though he has regained consciousness, Nur is still not out of danger. Water has accumulated inside his head.โ
DMCH Director Brigadier General Md. Asaduzzaman said: “He has a head injury. His nose bone is broken. That is why there was excessive bleeding on Friday. The bleeding stopped earlier. He has regained consciousness. However, it is not possible to say that Nurul Haque is out of danger before 48 hours.”
Around 1am on Saturday, Rashed Khan held a press conference. Quoting doctors, he said: “Nur has been taken to the ICU. Doctors said he has suffered a brain haemorrhage.”
Rashed said that if anything happens to Nur, the Army Chief and Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus will have to take responsibility. The IGP and DMP Commissioner must resign.
He added that the Army Chief, Home Affairs Adviser and Chief Adviser must clarify their statements within 24 hours. Those who attacked must be identified within 24 hours and action must be taken; otherwise, the GOP will cordon off the chief adviserโs official residence, Jamuna.
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