Students of Jagannath University staged a protest and held an absentee funeral prayer(funeral prayer in absentia) for the murder of Chittagong court law officer and lawyer Saiful Islam Alif, demanding justice for his killing.
During the protest, they also called for the banning of Iskcon (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), labelling it as a terrorist organization.
The event took place on Wednesday, after the Zohr prayers at the central mosque of the university.
Students performed the Absentee funeral prayer in front of the mosque and then marched in a protest rally.
The rally circled the entire campus, ending at the Sculpture Square with a brief gathering.
The students expressed their concerns, saying that Bangladesh has long been a country of communal harmony, where people of all religions live together peacefully.
They claimed that the Indian government is using the terrorist organization ISKCON to incite communal violence in Bangladesh.
The protesters demanded that ISKCON be listed as a terrorist organization and banned.
Moeen Al Mubaswer, spokesperson for Justice for July, condemned the murder of Saiful Islam Alif and called for the swift trial and punishment of the perpetrators.
Ashikur Rahman, a student of the 17th batch of the Department of Islamic Studies, commented on the issue, saying, "They are trying to provoke us from Delhi, but we will not fall for these provocations."
Masud Rana, a student of the Department of Physics, said: "Since August 5, the fascists have been trying to reassert themselves in various ways. For ages, people in this country have lived in communal harmony, and their conspiracies will not succeed. We are prepared to resist their attempts."
Ariful Islam, a student from the 14th batch of the Department of Islamic Studies, said: "People in Bengal, Hindus and Muslims alike, have maintained communal harmony for centuries. Some authoritarian allies are trying to incite communal riots by killing Saiful Bhai, but we are vigilant, and they will not succeed in their mission."
The protest was a strong stand against the rising tensions and an expression of solidarity against the forces attempting to disrupt communal peace in the country.
