TDS Desk:

Activists of Gono Odhikar Parishad have staged highway blockades in Rajshahi and Sirajganj to protest the assault on party chief Nurul Haque Nur.

In Rajshahi, student leaders from the party’s student wing, Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in front of Rajshahi University’s main gate around on Saturday midday.

Photo: Collected

Protesters shouted slogans including “Unity among students, citizens and the public”, “Let July’s weapons roar again”, “Set fire to fascism’s throne together”, and “Why was VP Nur attacked? Administration must answer”.

In Sirajganj, party activists blocked roads near the western roundabout of Jamuna Bridge and at Soydabad Intersection.

Jamuna Bridge West Police chief Mohammad Asaduzzaman said around 100 leaders and activists obstructed traffic for about 10 minutes, halting vehicles on the bridge. After marching along the highway, protesters concluded their demonstration at Soydabad.

The demonstrators condemned the attack and demanded swift punishment for those responsible. Traffic returned to normal once the blockade was lifted.

The protests follow Friday evening’s clash in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar between Jatiya Party and Gono Odhikar Parishad activists, after which Nur was seriously injured and admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The assault has drawn condemnation from the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other political parties, while Gono Odhikar Parishad supporters staged demonstrations in Dhaka, Chattogram, and other locations on Friday night.

Our Staff Reporter reports that, Leaders and activists of the Gono Odhikar Parishad on Saturday noon blocked the Jamuna Bridge Western Highway for 30 minutes to protest the attack on former Dhaka University VP and Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur.

They organized the programme at the roundabout of the Jamuna Bridge Western link road as a part of their central announcement.

About a hundred people including Sirajganj District Gono Odhikar Parishad President Momin Faisal, Member Secretary Yusuf Ali, District Shramik Odhikar Parishad President Suhrawardy Hossain, District Chhatra Odhikar Parishad General Secretary MI Moni and Belkuchi Upazila Gono Odhikar Parishad Member Secretary Hasmat Sarkar participated in the blockade programme.

During the blockade, these leaders and activists protested with various slogans and demanded the immediate arrest of the attackers. Later, the 30-minute blockade caused a long traffic jam on both sides of the highway. Considering the suffering, they lifted the blockade and left ehs spot.

Members of the law enforcement agencies were present at the time. Jamuna Bridge Western Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Asaduzzaman Asad said, “The leaders and activists of the Gono Odhikar Parishad and its wings blocked the highway to protest the attack on VP Nurul Haque Nur. Vehicular movement was snapped for a while. But, the situation gets normalcy, when they left the spot.