Students and members of political parties kept Dhanmondi 32, which houses the residence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in their control since yesterday morning to stop Awami League supporters from entering the premises.
The barricade had some posters saying, “Dhanmondi 32’s new name is 36/5” and “Where is the dictator killer Hasina now?” In the afternoon, a black banner was seen on the barricade saying, “Shoirachar Mukto Dibosh (Tyranny Free Day).”
Kader Siddique’s car vandalized
Blockers vandalized the car of freedom fighter and former MP Kader Siddique when he went to Dhanmondi 32 to pay tribute to Bangabandhu at around 7am.
He, however, termed it an isolated incident. “If it (car vandalization) brings prosperity, I will be happy,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
Another Toyota Harrier SUV was seen vandalized near Russel Square Police Box. However, the owner of the vehicle could not be identified.
Media harassment
The western portion of Dhanmondi 32 was inaccessible to media outlets from Monday night to Tuesday afternoon. Several media reporters were barred from standing there by the blockers.
At the same time, blockers were seen checking ID cards and cell phones of citizens at random.
Kader Siddiqui: New authorities equally guilty if they repeat AL’s actionsThe correspondents and a multimedia journalist of Dhaka Tribune were approached by a group after they had taken photos of people standing on top of an armored police vehicle. The group, in heated voices, demanded to check their cellphones and have them delete the photos. Nearby army personnel intervened and brought them to safety.
Hasnat Abdullah, a coordinator of the Anti-discriminatory Student Movement, said in a video message: “We did not only want the removal of the oppressor, we wanted the removal of oppression.”
Hasnat condemned the obstruction of journalists in Dhanmondi 32. “The fascist government restricted the media from working freely; we do not want a repetition of that,” said Hasnat.
Public celebration
People were seen celebrating with music and dancing on the eastern portion (adjacent to Mirpur Road) of Dhanmondi 32 just outside the barricade.
A student who participated in the celebration said: “We are celebrating because August is our month of victory and July is our month of mourning.” “We do not support this mourning day. No personal mourning can turn into a statewide mourning,” he added.
Abu Sufiyan, a lecturer at Alhaz Mockbul Hossain College, said: “Days ago, there was a failed attempt at a judicial coup, which was prevented by the students and the people. Just like that, we have heard that Awami League cadres are staging a drama of attacks on minorities. They were trying to create a conspiracy under the banner of minorities. To halt this conspiracy, today students and the masses took to the streets.”
“We are here not to disrespect anyone’s father or respect anyone’s husband. We are here to protect our independence.”
Upon asking about dancing to Hindi music, a Chhatra Dal member said: “We see music as a part of culture. We do not take bad lessons from any country. The people of Bangladesh support the positive steps of other countries, regardless of which country it is. It can be India, the USA, or any other country.”
He also said the BNP and other parties that believe in democracy and protest against the fascist government want a fair election under a free election commission to recover democracy.
AL members, pedestrians captured
Some Awami League members were detained from New Model Degree College. Witnesses confirmed one of them as the vice president of Ward No. 31 of the Awami League, Abu Sayeed. The other four detained people were identified as his accomplices.
Earlier, at least 10 other pedestrians had been detained. Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Amranul Islam confirmed they have been released as no charges have been filed against them.
The pedestrians were detained by the protesting public on the basis of suspicious activities and handed over to the police.
