NN Online:
Hefazat-e-Islam has announced plans to hold demonstrations across the country on May 23 to press for a range of demands, including the cancellation of the Reform Commission on Women Affairs report.
The announcement was made by Hefazat chief Muhibullah Babunagari during a grand rally held at Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday. The party’s Nayeb-e-Ameer, Maulana Mahfuzul Haque, earlier presented a 12-point list of demands, with the withdrawal of the interim government’s Women Affairs Reform Commission report as a key item.
At the rally, Hefazat leaders warned the government against adopting any policies they deemed contrary to the Qur’an and Sunnah in a country where Muslims make up 90 percent of the population. They called for the immediate scrapping of the Women Affairs report and urged the interim government to take their concerns seriously.
Speakers also reiterated demands for justice over the alleged mass killing during the Shapla Chattar incident in Motijheel in 2013. They criticized the absence of a formal investigation commission into the event, contrasting it with probes into the BDR mutiny and the July movement.
Hefazat leaders further demanded the withdrawal of all cases filed against their leaders and activists during the tenure of what they described as the “fascist” Sheikh Hasina regime, noting that cases against other political parties had been dismissed.
The organization vowed to continue its movement to safeguard what it sees as the Islamic character and sovereignty of Bangladesh.
