TDS Desk:

Authorities have suspended trial proceedings for the BDR massacre case at a makeshift court at the Alia Madrasa filed in the capital’s Bakshibazar following 10-hour road blockades enforced by madrasa students and locals.

The protesters lifted the blockade on assurances from court authorities and law enforcers. The protesters alleged the court was being used for more than the allocated three months, disrupting the madrasa’s educational activities.

Torching of the courtroom by unidentified miscreants the previous night also prevented authorities from beginning proceedings on Thursday morning.

Shafiullah, a student participating in the protest, “The city corporation had occupied this field for a long time. After the July revolution, this field must remain ours. If our demands are not met, we will escalate our movement.”

A temporary court has been set up at the Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, where the accused in the BDR case are held. However, trials are yet to begin there due to inadequate preparations. Until all the preparations were completed, authorities had decided to use the makeshift court at Bakshibazar field.

Pressure is also mounting on the government to fast-track the trials as demands grow for releasing those “unfairly imprisoned” during the Awami League regime, for reinstating their job status and for providing justice to the victims’ families.

A road blockade has been announced at Shahbagh intersection on Thursday noon to realise the demands.

Earlier, witnesses and police said Dhaka Alia Madrasa students and other civilians began their protest against continued makeshift court activities on Wednesday night. The movement persisted into Thursday morning, with demonstrators burning tyres and obstructing traffic on a road in front of the field.

A special temporary court had been set up on the madrasa grounds to conduct trials related to the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny.

The students voiced strong opposition to this arrangement, which led to the blockade.

The demonstration disrupted vehicular movement on the road in front of the court and its surrounding areas, leading to severe congestion.

The protesters blocked access to the streets near the Dhaka Education Board and Bakshibazar intersection with bamboo barricades, halting traffic flow from Bakshibazar to Chawkbazar.

The temporary court was set up to address cases stemming from the 2009 BDR mutiny, a tragic event that claimed the lives of 74 people, including 57 military officers, at the Pilkhana headquarters of the paramilitary force. The mutiny, which shook the nation and garnered international attention, remains a critical chapter in Bangladesh’s history.