Police dispersed protesters when they attempted to march towards Subidbazar area of Sylhet city on Wednesday (July 31, 2024) as part of ‘March for Justice’ programme announced by Anti-discrimination Student Movement to press home their 9-point demand. The protesters started taking position at the main gate of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) from 11 am. Police who had taken position there before their arrival obstructed them, said witnesses. Later, more students joined and started chanting slogans. At around 12:30 pm, hundreds of students marched to the city's court point. Read more: Tense situation as protesters hold ‘March for Justice’ demonstration in Chattogram Court premises A clash broke when the protesters tried to move towards Subidbazar and police restored to tear gas shells and sound grenade to disperse them, reports our correspondent from the spot.

As part of the nationwide ‘March for Justice’ programme on Wednesday (July 31, 2024), protesters are holding a demonstration at the Chattogram Court premises to press home their nine-point demand. A tense situation prevails in and around the court area as a significant number of law enforcers have surrounded the protesters, according to UNB’s Chattogram correspondent. Earlier, around 11:30 am, protesters began gathering in front of Chattogram Zilla Parishad in Laldighi area, occupying the busy Laldighi Road for about half an hour, causing a traffic gridlock on both sides. A group of lawyers from the court later joined the protesters, extending their support. In response, the police administration issued a half-hour ultimatum for the protesters to vacate the road. The combined group of protesters and lawyers then marched to the front of the Lawyers’ Building, where they continued to demonstrate and chant slogans. Read more: Shamim Osman seeing signs that tonight 'not normal'

Gridlock was formed as vehicular movement on Dhaka-Tangail highway remained suspended for over an hour due to workers of garment factories demonstrating in Gazipur’s Konabari area, demanding payment of salaries as per the wages set by the government. Mohammad Ziaul Islam, officer-in-charge of Konabari Police Station, said workers of garment factories in the Konabari area took to the street around 8 am to press home their six-point demand including payment of salary as per the government-announced wage structure. Read: Focus on value addition in RMG industry needed more to enhance global competitiveness: BGMEA President  The other demands include an eight-hour workday instead of ten hours. A long tailback has been created on both sides of the Dhaka-Tangail highway following the demonstration. However, vehicular movement normalised as police drove the demonstrating workers away from the highway after assuring them of taking steps regarding their demands. Read: Despite anticipated challenges in 2024, int’l market demand for RMG products could rise: BGMEA Director  

Students of seven Dhaka University-affiliated colleges on Tuesday (June 20, 2023) blocked Nilkhet intersection to press home their 7-point demand. They put up barricade and staged demonstrations at Nilkhet intersection around 12 pm, triggering huge traffic jam on the adjacent roads, said witnesses. Read: IU Students protest attack on teacher, block Kushtia-Jhenaidah highway Stopping harassment of students of seven colleges at DU register building, revising CGPA conditions for promotion to next stage and publishing  results within the 90 days of examination, formation of a clear policy and authority and taking proper steps to solve teachers shortage and classroom space scarcity are among the demands of the students .

Two police officials were injured in a clash with Jamaat-e-Islami activists during their a demonstration protesting the arrest of their ameer Shafiqur Rahman in Rajshahi city on Tuesday. The injured police members are Sub Inspector Abu Haider and Constable Ahad of Boalia police station in Rajshahi city. The Jamaat-e-Islami activists carried out the demonstration led by Jamaat secretary Emaj Uddin Mandal from the New Market area of the city demanding the release of the central ameer of Jamaat. Read more: Jamaat ameer involved in breeding new militant outfit: CTTC chief The clash broke out when police chased them to disperse the procession at the Nagar Bhaban intersection, said Boalia police station officer-in-charge (OC) Mazharul Islam. Two police members were injured as the Jamaat activists hurled brick chips on them and were given first aid immediately, he said. The OC said there was no permission to bring out the procession. Besides, a case will be filed in this regard, said the OC. The Counter Terrorism & Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Shafiqur Rahman in the early hours of Tuesday from his residence in the capital. Read more: Police: Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman arrested He was also placed on a seven-day remand in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act today (Tuesday). On December 10, the ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami announced a 10-point demand largely overlapping with the BNP's, and declared a mass rally on December 24 just after the BNP's announcement. Jamaat-e-Islami made the announcement to build a nationwide simultaneous mass movement based on the 10-point demand to restore democracy in the country and bring back the people's rights, said a media statement.

At least 10 people were injured during a clash between police and workers of a garment factory in Gazipur on Tuesday as they blocked Dhaka-Tangail highway demanding arrears. The workers of New Line Clothing Limited Factory put up blockaed on the highway near Mouchak area around 9 am, disrupting movement of all kind of vehicles on the road. Read more: Payments to 3,428 garment workers, families approved from Central Fund As police tried to remove them from the road agitated workers started throwing brick chips, leading to a chase-counter-chase, said Sahidur Rahman, in charge of Mouchak police outpost.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will stage a demonstration in the capital on Tuesday protesting the arrest of the party leaders and activists including its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and the police action at their central office. The programme will be held at 2pm in front of the party’s central office at Nayapaltan. Read more: BNP’s Nayapaltan office reopens after 4 days of police raid BNP's standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain announced the programme at a press conference at its central office on Monday. Besides, their party’s all city and district units will hold mass processions on the same day on same ground as per their prescheduled programme announced from Golapbagh rally . This would be BNP’s first programme in front of their central office after its closure following police raid on the office. Read more: 5 BNP MPs submit resignation to JS Speaker On Sunday noon, the central office at Nayapaltan was reopened after four days. On December 7, a Swechchasebak Dal leader was killed and around 50 others were injured in a clash between police and the BNP activists in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office ahead of its December 10 rally. On December 8, a Dhaka court sent 445 BNP leaders and activists including Annie and Salam to jail in two cases filed over the December 7 violence. Besides, in the early hours of December 9, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police picked up Mirza Fakhrul and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas from their homes in separate raids in the capital city. A Dhaka court sent Mirza Fakhrul and Abbas to jail rejecting their bail petitions in the case on the same day. Later they were shown arrested in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act with Paltan police station over the clash.

Vehicular movement on the Jamalpur-Mymensingh highway remained suspended for half an hour as several hundred farmers staged a demonstration by blocking the road after failing to purchase fertilizers in time in Sadar upazila of Jamalpur on Monday. The farmers thronged the entrance of a fertilizer shop named M/s Haidar Traders in Nandina from 7am to 9am to purchase fertilizer, within the stipulated window for fertiliser sales at the shop. But the shop never opened on Monday morning, and when the rally reached the area it halted vehicular movement. Later, normal traffic resumed around 10am as the farmers cleared the road following assurances from the Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). Also read: Govt considering diesel subsidy for Boro farmers: Agriculture Minister Contacted, Haidar Ali, the owner of the shop and approved dealer, said he only got 14 metric tonnes of fertilizer and he was able to keep only 7 MT in his shop at a time. In the morning, he got frightened seeing the huge number of farmers in front of his shop and fled the scene. He questioned himself: “How could I distribute the meagre amount I had in stock (147 sacks, as he said) among the huge number of farmers?” Litun Lorence, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer, said “There is no crisis of fertilizer and the dealers are selling fertilizers as per the government directives." Also read: Drought dashes dreams of Khulna farmers This year, 31 hectares of land have been brought under Aman cultivation in Sadar upazila, and 928 MT of fertilizers have been allocated for this area, according to Dilruba Yeasmin, upazila agriculture officer.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Sunday said that the law enforcement agencies will not restrict the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) if they carry on their programmes in a systematic way. The minister was speaking to journalists after attending a meeting at the Secretariat on law and order situation during the National Mourning Day on August 15. “BNP is a political party. They have their own strategies. It’s up to them whether they’ll participate in the next general elections or not. But we won’t let them to block the roads or damage peoples’ lives and properties,” said Kamal. Also read: ‘Mega’ corruption, plundering by govt behind loadshedding: BNP Kamal added that the fact that the government isn’t interrupting BNP’s activities in front of the Press Club shows that the government has no objection to peaceful political activities. “The people will decide whether they’ll listen to BNP’s call to come to the streets or not. The way the country is moving forward indicates that the people won’t go back to darkness,” added Kamal. According to the minister, security will be beefed up in Dhanmondi and Banani areas of the capital on August 15 as important persons including the prime minister and foreign diplomats will move on the day. Also read: Creating rumors now the main task of BNP leaders: AL “Even the mausoleum of Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Gopalganj will be covered in security blanket. A large number of police will be deployed across the country while the Detective Branch (DB) of police will also ramp up its surveillance. We won’t let anyone to carry out any subversive activities,” Kamal said.

The garment workers on Friday staged a demonstration in the city demanding the immediate payment of the salary of June along with Eid bonus. Garment Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (GSKOP), an alliance of 20 worker associations, arranged the demonstration in front of the National Press Club. Read: RMG workers stage demo for third consecutive day demanding pay rise Addressing the function, the leaders of the workers also demanded introduction of dearness allowance to match with market prices of daily essentials, the ration system for workers to buy some essential commodities at subsidized prices, and ensuring the accommodation for workers at low rent. GSKOP joint coordinator Karmul Ahsan, general secretary of Garment Sramik Front Selim Mahmud, President of Motherland Garment Sramik Federation Saleha Islam Santona, President of Garment and Dorji Sramik Federation Mohammad Rafiq spoke at the programme presided over by another GSKOP joint coordinator Abdul Wahed. The labour leaders claimed that the garment factory owners are now having a very good time amid the depreciation of taka against dollar and the rise of purchase orders. But the garment workers are now facing the worst time due to price hike of daily essentials and the tremendous work pressure. Read: RMG workers stage demo in city demanding wage hike They also claimed that it is leant that some factories would not pay the 100 pc salary of June before the Eid-ul Azha. The leaders demanded the payment of the entire salary and full-fledged Eid bonus soon, said a press release.