A pre-announced mass procession on Saturday organized by several left-leaning student and cultural organizations at the Central Shaheed Minar had to be canceled due to apprehensions of a chaotic situation in the Dhaka University area.
Earlier, the convener of Inquilab Mancha, Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, had called for a mass gathering in Shahbag at the same time as the mass procession.
The situation escalated when Inquilab Mancha’s rally began marching towards Shaheed Minar.
Mahir Shahriar Reza, president of the central committee of Bangladesh Chhatra Union, told Dhaka Tribune: “Although we came to the Central Shaheed Minar as per our pre-announced program, we decided to cancel today's mass procession considering the law and order situation and the overall security of the country.”
“We have faced threats, attacks, and enforced disappearances in the last 16 years, so we are not afraid of threats. We canceled our program because many groups, who collaborate with the Awami League, are actively trying to deteriorate the law and order situation and make our program questionable,” he added.
Abdullah Al Jaber, member secretary of Inquilab Mancha, told Dhaka Tribune: “We did not hold a resistance gathering but a protest gathering, which is a right of every citizen of Bangladesh.”
He further added: “Those who stood at Shaheed Minar today did not stand during Bangladesh’s crises over the last 16 years. Now, when they stand for the rape issue, we view them with suspicion.”
“In the name of feminism, their activities surrounding the rape incident are intended to undermine Bangladesh’s image in front of the UN secretary-general, who is currently visiting the country, implying that women in Bangladesh are not safe,” he added.
Though the mass procession had been cancelled, they held a brief rally at the Shaheed Minar, where they announced a seven-point demand.
The rally called for justice for all murders, rapes, and abuses, including the Magura rape case.
The demands also included the removal of the home affairs adviser, justice for the July-August killings, and punishment for mob attackers who targeted mosques, temples, and shrines.
Other demands included justice for lawyer Saiful Islam Alif and the workers killed by joint forces in the Chittagong court premises, as well as justice for the killings of Sagar-Runi, Tonu, Afsana, Munia, and others under the Awami League rule.
The rally also demanded justice for attacks and looting of Hindu and indigenous communities' homes.
