The six-hour hartal in Sylhet enforced by Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) in protest of an attack on their rally by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists was observed peacefully Monday.
On the day, CPB and BSD leaders brought out a procession at Zindabazar in the city around 9am which ended near Court Point area.Earlier, a rally was held in Zindabazar condemning the attack and demanding exemplary punishment to the attackers.
During the hartal hours, all shops and business establishments in the city remained closed. Though movement of rickshaws and other smaller vehicles was normal, no long-route buses departed from the two terminals of the city – South Surma and North Surma.
In Dhaka, CPB and BSD organised a protest rally in front of the National Press Club protesting the attack and demanding immediate arrest of those who attacked CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim and others. CPB Advisory Council Member Manzurul Ahsan Khan chaired the joint protest rally.
Chattra Union, the pro-communist party student’s wing, also staged demonstration and brought out a procession in Dhaka University.
After suspending all activities of its Sylhet district unit committee on Sunday night, BCLMonday formally apologised for the incident through a press conference held at Dhaka University’s Madhur Canteen.
Speaking at the press briefing BCL President Bodiuzzaman Sohag deemed the incident “unexpected” and said some
“overenthusiastic” activists, and “infiltrators” from the BNP, had carried out the attack.
Meanwhile, a case against 68 BCL activists was filed Sunday night by Sub-Inspector Shahabuddin of Kotwali police station, said Ezaz Ahmed, deputy police commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan police.
With Sylhet district unit BCL acting president Hiron Mahmud Nipu made the main accused, charges were brought against 18 named and 50 unnamed individuals. However, the police are yet to make an arrest.
On Sunday, a joint rally by CPB and BSD at Court Point in Sylhet, came under attack of local BCL activists, who were passing by the rally with a procession. The attack around 5pm left 30 people injured, including CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim and Officer-In-Charge of Kotwali police station Akter Ahmed.
In reaction, CPB district unit President Anwar Hossain Sumon announced the six-hour shutdown across the district one the same day.