A number of members from the minority community, including elderly mothers and transgender persons, turned up in droves at the grand rally in Rangpur where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke today — a demonstration of public support for her call to vote for Awami League in the upcoming national election.
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“I have come here from many miles away to get a glimpse of our leader Sheikh Hasina. My family is also here to lend our support,” said an elderly woman from the local Hindu community.
“She is our hope, and we stand by her. Attending this rally is our way of showing support for her. The Sheikh Hasina-led government’s bold stance for communal harmony is the reason we support her,” said a housewife.
Like them, many women — part of different groups — were visible at today’s rally in Rangpur, resolutely shouting slogans to express their support for the Awami League leader.
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Minority communities living in the northern part of the country endured repeated attacks during the last BNP-Jamaat government between 2001 and 2006. Their places of worship were burnt down, houses and businesses were looted and vandalized in the run up to the 2014 national election.
Posters with images of the Father of the Nation, PM Hasina, and Sajeeb Wazed Joy were seen on many buildings on important roads, medians, and walls. Banners, festoons, arches and welcome gates gave the area a festive atmosphere.
A procession of 390 transgender persons, under the banner of ‘Nyay Odhikar Transgender Unnayan Sangstha’, arrived at the venue from different parts of Rangpur district.
A transgender woman named Nusrat, a resident of ward 26, said that she joined the rally to welcome the prime minister and honour her for the numerous measures undertaken by the government to include the often overlooked minority community in mainstream society.
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Days back, recalling the trauma of gang-rape and subsequent stigmatization during the BNP-Jamaat government in 2001, Purnima Rani Shil labelled BNP leader Tarique Rahman “a disease.”
The unthinkable brutality Purnima experienced made headlines after a group of men raped her in Ullahpara of Sirajganj on October 8, 2001.
Purnima was one of many victims selectively targeted for belonging to the minority Hindu community and for supporting Awami League after the BNP-Jamaat alliance formed the government in 2001.