The Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal (BNP’s student wing) is set to hold a student rally in Shahbagh, Dhaka, on Sunday and in light of the potential inconvenience this might cause to city dwellers, the organization has issued an apology.
The statement, signed by the party’s Office Secretary (vice-president rank) Md Jahangir Alam, conveyed the message on behalf of the student wing.
According to the Chhatra Dal statement: “In June, we announced a 36-day-long program in memory of the July uprising, beginning with a rally at the Central Shaheed Minar on Sunday. However, later on, leaders of the National Citizen Party personally contacted our leaders on multiple occasions and requested to hold their own rally at the Shaheed Minar on the same day. We had already obtained permission from the office of the proctor at the University of Dhaka for our rally, and we were the only party with legitimate claims to the venue on that date. Nevertheless, as a student organization that believes in liberalism, democracy, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence of diverse ideologies, we decided to change our venue from the Shaheed Minar to Shahbagh.”
The statement further added: “We are aware of the inconvenience a weekday rally may cause in a busy city like Dhaka. However, in the interest of building broader unity against fascist forces on this significant and historic day of the July uprising, we felt compelled, as the largest student organization, to relocate the rally out of a sense of responsibility and generosity.”
Chhatra Dal also stated: “We, the leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal, extend our advance apologies for any public inconvenience that may arise tomorrow. We hope the residents of the city will consider the matter with empathy.”
The student wing concluded by promising to be more mindful of such issues in the future as a responsible organization.
