DHAKA: In the latest development related to ongoing anti-government protests in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, staged nationwide sit-ins on Thursday.
The party is demanding the arrest and trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her associates in connection with recent violence in the country.
The BNP’s protest coincided with the 49th anniversary of the assassination of Sheikh Hasina’s father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founder and former prime minister.
In Dhaka, BNP activists and supporters gathered at key locations including the South Gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, in front of Awami League offices, and at the Central Shaheed Minar. They are calling for accountability for what they describe as Hasina’s autocratic rule and the violence that has resulted in numerous casualties.
The protests saw significant participation from the BNP’s student wing, Chhatra Dal, with around a thousand members gathering at the Central Shaheed Minar, chanting slogans and waving national and party flags. The BNP’s Dhaka Metropolitan Unit and its youth wing, Jubo Dal, also organized marches through various areas of the city including Malibagh, Mouchak, Shahjahanpur, and Kaptan Bazar.
In response to the unrest, which has claimed over 560 lives in the past three weeks, the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has launched an investigation into Sheikh Hasina and nine others, focusing on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. Yunus and his 16 advisers assumed the interim government responsibility on August 8, following Hasina’s resignation on August 5.
The recent violence in Dhaka has resulted in more than 230 deaths, exacerbating the crisis that followed the collapse of Hasina’s government.
