Protest at Border Killings Dhaka University student begins signature campaign

The Dhaka University student who is continuing sit-in at Raju memorial sculpture for a straight one month protesting against killings by Indian Security Forces along Bangladesh borders on Sunday began a mass-signature campaign.

Nasir Abdullah, a masters student of marketing department, started sit-in alone on January 25, when dozens of protesters also held a gayebana janaza, funeral prayer without bodies, seeking peace for the dead victims.

Nasir said that he began the campaign to make general people aware of the border killings and take the issue to International Court of Justice and human rights organisations.

Economist Anu Muhammad, also a professor at Jahangirnagar University, launched the campaign at Raju sculpture on Sunday afternoon.

Expressing solidarity with Nasir, Anu Muhammad condemned the role of successive governments and concerned authorities for their failure to stop killings along the border.

He said that it was impossible for a lone protester to mitigate the problem and called for a greater unity among students and general people to wage a tougher movement to bring an end to border killings.

He also asked the student organisations to play main role to carry out the movement.

He also demanded clear pledge from the Indian government regarding stoppage of border killings before their prime minister comes to Bangladesh to celebrate Mujib centenary.

Nasir said that his sit-in would continue until the government pressed its Indian counterpart to stop killing Bangladeshi people immediately.

Expressing solidarity with Nasir, different organisations held rallies, discussions, screened film at the spot of his sit-in over the past few days.

Nasir lauded students, academics and socio-political activists for expressing solidarity with him, but lamented the inaction of the government to address the issue.

Meanwhile, Sarbajan Katha, a magazine organised a discussion titled ‘Friendship of Barbed Wire Fence: Bangladesh-India Relationship’ at the RC Majumder auditorium of Dhaka university on Sunday afternoon.

Professor Anu Muhammad, Dhaka University International Relations teachers Abdul Mannan and Tanzimuddin Khan, accounting department teacher Moshahida Sultana, writer and researcher Altaf Parvez addressed the programme.

Abdul Mannan and Tanzimuddin Khan jointly presented a slide show over border killings at the programme.

Addressing the programme, Tanzimuddin Khan said that almost 95 per cent of Bangladesh-India border was covered with fence and now India introduced smart fencing. Such ‘token’ of friendship can be seen only on Bangladesh-India-Pakistan borders, he said.

He said that government claimed that Bangladesh and India enjoyed a friendship relation but the border scenario indicated a different story as it became deadliest border as the times goes by.      

The Indian border force killed at least 15 Bangladeshis along the border in January, according to the rights organisations and media reports.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net