Jamaat postpones Friday’s rally, calls for divisional protest August 6

Staff Reporter  :
Defying police instructions, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday held extensive demonstrations at two important locations in the capital where hundreds of party leaders and workers protested against the government’s hard-line policy of not allowing the party to hold rallies.

The Jamaat wanted to hold a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on Friday but they could not obtain permission from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

However, they have announced a new date to hold demonstrations in all divisional cities on August 6 (Sunday) to protest the dual policy of the authorities concerned in giving permission for political gatherings.

Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, the nayeb-e-amir of the party, made this announcement during a virtual press conference on Friday.

Meanwhile, immediately after the Jumu’ah prayers, the party brought out two big protest processions condemning the dual policy of the government in giving permission for political rallies.

The Dhaka Mahanagar Dakkhin Jamaat held the demonstration in Motijheel area while Dhaka Mahanagar Uttar Jamaat in Mirpur area.

During these brief gatherings, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders cautioned the government, saying “If the government does not heed to their demand for a caretaker government and allow their planned political activities, they will force the government to step down by mobilizing the people.”

“We will intensify our movement across the country, including in the capital, until our demands are met,’ Jamaat-e-Islami leader Nurul Islam Bulbul said.

He also said that they will continue their presence on the streets until the upcoming elections.
“We will remain in the streets and compel the government go step down through our movement,” he said.

Apart from it, they also demanded the immediate release of arrested party workers and leaders.

“The masses have risen. The government is sentencing the top political leaders to keep them away from participating in the national election,” he said.

Jamaat wanted to hold a rally in the Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital on August 4, but the police administration did not give permission for it. Protesting this move, the Jamaat leaders and workers brought out a protest demonstration led by Dhaka South Amir Nurul Islam Bulbul.

The procession started from Motijheel and concluded in front of the Kamalapur railway station.

Several Jamaat leaders, including Central Committee member and Dhaka North Secretary Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim, participated in the mass protest gathering in Mirpur-1.
The demonstration started at Gol Chattar in Mirpur-1 and ended at Technical Mor.

The gathering was attended by, among others, Dhaka North Assistant Secretary Mahfuzur Rahman, Nazimuddin Mollah, Dr. Fakhruddin Manik, Dhaka City Corporation councilor Jamal Uddin, Muhibullah, Jiaul Hasan, Ataur Rahman Sarkar, and Nasir Uddin.

It is mentionable that after a decade, Jamaat-e-Islami got permission from the police to hold a rally in Dhaka on June 10 under some conditions including party supporters cannot gather outside the auditorium of Institution of Engineers.

Jamaat will hold the rally protesting price hikes of daily essentials, demanding release of its leaders and holding the next election under a caretaker government system.

Hundreds and thousands of party leaders and workers gathered on the occasion and they concluded their programme peacefully.

This even created much speculation in the political landscape why the police administration gave permission to arrange such rally by Jamaat when most of their party leaders were hanged by the verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal for committing crimes against humanity in 1971.

Even the party lost their registration with the Election Commission for involvement in the crimes against humanity.

Among the speculations, there was gossiping whether the incumbent government wants to draw support from the Jamaat in the upcoming election.

But now when Jammat wants to hold political programmes ahead of the election, they are facing troubles in obtaining permission from police administration.