Jamaat brings out procession marches in Dhaka to enforce blockade, 5 detained from Mirpur
Jamaat activists were seen blocking the Tejgaon-Mohakhali railway from 7:45am to 8:10am; the procession was led by Hatirjheel and Tejgaon units of the party
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami brought out procession marches in the capital Dhaka this morning to enforce the three-day blockade the party called for on vehicle movement on road, rail and waterway starting today.
The party brought out processions in the capital's Moghbazar, Mohakhali, Sadarghat and Uttara areas on Tuesday (31 October) morning.
Jamaat activists were seen blocking the Tejgaon-Mohakhali railway from 7:45am to 8:10am; the procession was led by Hatirjheel and Tejgaon units of the party.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Meanwhile, Jamaat's Dhaka Metropolitan South Assistant Secretary Delawar Hossain led a procession in the Sadarghat area to enforce the blockade.
Another procession was brought out in the Mohakhali area, led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami central working council member and secretary of Dhaka Metropolitan North, Muhammad Rezaul Karim.
"This blockade is to press home our demands for the resignation of the government, free the national leaders including Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, Secretary General Prof Mia Golam Parwar and Metropolitan North Ameer Muhammad Salim Uddin. We are undertaking this movement to establish the voting rights of the people," the Jamaat leader said.
He said they will out the government through tough movements.
Muhammad Rezaul Karim called on the government to immediately resign and unconditionally release the arrested opposition leaders.
"Otherwise the consequences will be not good," he warned.
He said that the people of the country and the international community have already shown a red card to the government.
"There is no chance for them to remain in power by force. Realizing that the government has unleashed the police force on the people. People will overthrow the dictatorial government, ignoring all the obstacles," the Jamaat leader further said.
The police arrested five activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami who were trying to enforce the party's blockade in the capital's Mirpur area and vandalise properties.
"We had intelligence information that a petrol pump may be vandalised in the Technical Mor area. Based on that information, a team of the Darussalam police station stayed there overnight," Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Assistant Commissioner (Darussalam Zone) Mofizur Rahman Palash said.
According to the police, a group of 10-15 people gathered in the Technical Mor area to cause unrest.
Police chased and arrested five Jamaat leaders and activists from the
Legal action is being against them, police added.
On Monday (30 October), Jamaat-e-Islami called for a three-day blockade on vehicle movement on road, rail and waterways starting 31 October, coinciding with the blockade announced earlier by the BNP.
The blockade was announced in a statement signed by Jamaat-e-Islami's Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum.
"In protest against the arrest of activists, including Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, and the police's obstruction of the mass meeting announced by Jamaat on 28 October, and the unjust arrest of the leaders and activists who came to attend the mass meeting, we are announcing a three-day blockade across the country tomorrow," he said.
BNP on 29 October announced a blockade on 31 October, 1 and 2 November in protest of Sunday's detention of the party's General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir, the attacks on the 28 October citywide rallies and the killing of numerous party activists.
