Naripokkho, a women's activist organization, on Monday organized a sit-in strike in Dhaka protesting the recent incidents of violence driven by religious extremism.
Members of Naripokkho, along with representatives of other rights organizations as well as general people, gathered in front of their office in Dhanmondi at around 3:30pm. They continued their protest till 4:30pm.
Naripokkho, in a press issued in this regard, said that the use of religion to instigate violence and disrupt communal harmony in the country had become a normal practice.
Mentioning the recent incidents of violence against the Hindu community across the country and the mob lynching of a teacher for “disrespecting the Quran” in Lalmonirhat, Naripokkho said: “Every citizen of the country – irrespective of race, religion, caste, class, group – will live independently, and practice his or her respective religion; the rule of law will be established – this is the nation’s aspiration but recent events have proved once again that there is zero rule of law in the country “although Bangladesh’s constitution guarantees people of all religions the opportunity to practise their faiths equally.”
Naripokhho, during the demonstration, urged the government to stop all kinds of religious extremism and violent activities with the help of the Home Ministry and police, and to include lessons related to communal harmony, and equal rights in all streams of education in the country.
The rights organization also asked for a transparent show of the steps and measures taken or to be taken by the government in this regard.
