Gonoshasthya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury on Saturday alleged the government is trying to suppress the new generation in “Pakistani style.”
Speaking at a protest rally in the city, he also accused the government of killing five youths in a planned way in Chittagong and Brahmanbaria on Friday over the protest against Modi’s visit.
“Registering protest is our fundamental right. The killings in Hefazat’s programs are planned ones,” Dr Zafrullah said. “Those killed (on Friday) were young men. This new generation is being suppressed in a Pakistani style.”
Bhasani Anusari Parishad arranged the rally in front of the National Press Club in protest of the attacks on protest programs against Modi's visit on Friday.
Dr Zafrullah, also a freedom fighter, alleged that the government has forced the country’s people to greet a “communal person like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi” on the occasion of Bangladesh’s golden jubilee.
He extended support to Hefazat-e-Islam’s dawn-to-dusk hartal, to be enforced across the country on Sunday to protest the killings of its activists allegedly by police and the attack by the supporters of the ruling party.
The freedom fighter urged the government not to obstruct Hefazat’s hartal program as the followers of the organization have the right to observe such a program in a peaceful manner.
“I think we should all support this hartal,” he added.
Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganasanghati Andolan, urged the government to ensure a proper investigation into police attacks on anti-Narendra Modi protest programs in Dhaka, Chittagong and Brahmanbaria, and to make the identities of those killed in the incidents public.
He also demanded that the government put those responsible for the killings on trial and ensure compensation for the victims’ families.
Apart from this, Saki urged the government to investigate the attacks on different progressive student organizations over the past week and withdraw the false cases filed against them.
The organizers of the protest program locked into an altercation with police members as they encircled the rally before it concluded.
Later, police detained at least five people from the post.