SUNDERBANS MARCH : Police attack DLA rally in Manikganj [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

SUNDERBANS MARCH : Police attack DLA rally in Manikganj

Local October 17, 2015

Police attacked a street rally of the Democratic Left Alliance in Manikganj on Friday as they set out their road march demanding scrapping of Rampal power plant project near the Sunderbans.
The marchers reached Manikganj from Dhaka around 2:30pm when police barred them from holding a rally saying that they had no permission for holding a rally.
Police ransacked the podium which was already set up on the Shaheed Minar premises and seized the public address system.
As the marchers stared to move towards the rally venue, police charged batton on them, leaving at least 25 leaders and activists of the combine of eight left-leaning political parties, injured.
Among the injured are Bangladesh Biplabi Workers Party general secretary and DLA coordinator Saiful Haque, Ganatantrik Boplabi Party’s general secretary Moshrefa Mishu, Bangladesh samajtantrik Dal’s central committee member comrade Shudhangsha Chakrabarty, Bonni Shikha and Toma.
Moshrefa Mishu was given treatment at Manikganj Sadar Hospital.
Manikgan Police Station officer-in-charge Aminur Rahman said they had no permission for holding any programme in Manikganj.
‘We asked them to stop the programme. Police intercepted the procession as they violated rules,’ he said.
President of Manikganj district unit of Gana Sanghati Andolan Monjurul Islam Babu said police attacked the peaceful procession.
There was no coordination between the deputy commissioner and the police superintendent and that was the cause of the attack, he said, adding that they had informed both of them about the peaceful programme.
The marchers later started for Goalanda in the evening, coordinator of the combine Fakhruddin Kabir Atik told New Age.
The DLA on the day started its three-day Dhaka-Sunderbans road march in the capital through a rally.
At the rally in the capital, National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports member secretary Anu Muhammad said people would not accept the Ramal Thermal Power Plant which would destroy the world’s biggest mangrove forest.
The national committee will announce tougher movement if the government would not refrain from implementing the project, Anu warned.
Columnist Syed Abul Maksud also criticised the government for taking up the Rampal project.
Ganasnghati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki said the government was implementing the projects ignoring the opinions of people.
They must face trails in future for this, Saki said.
Chaired by Saiful Huq, coordinator of the body, the rally was addressed, among others, by academics Akmal Hossain, DLA leaders Mubinul Haider Chowdhury, Mushrefa Mishu, Moshrraf Hossain Nannu and Nazrul Islam.
Around 500 marchers are taking part in the programme.
Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist), United Communist League, Democratic Revolutionary Party, Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal, Ganasanghati Andolan, Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Mahabub) and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Adolan are taking part in the march.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of Bangladesh and Socialist Party of Bangladesh are also holding a five-day joint march towards the Sunderbans on the same demand.
The two parties started the march on October 13 and are holding rallies at different points. They will hold the concluding rally in Bagerhat today.
CPB leaders Manzurul Ahsan Khan, Sajjad Zahir Chandan, Ruhin Hossain Price, SPB leaders Khalequzzaman, Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Razequzzaman Ratan and others are attending the march.