DHAKA: A mob attacked those seeking to visit on Thursday a memorial to Bangladesh‘s first president and father of ousted PM Sheikh Hasina – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – and prevented them from proceeding towards Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, which was Mujibur Rahman’s residence and where he and most of his family were murdered on Aug 15, 1975 by a cabal of army officers.
The assailants, armed with sticks, had taken up positions on roads near the residence since the morning and were also seen stopping media personnel from taking photos and videos. The mob apparently comprised students who were seen checking the ID cards of passersby and detaining those they considered suspicious. Even heroes of the 1971 Liberation War, including the legendary Abdul Kader Siddique who was celebrated as the “Tiger of Tangail and Bangabir” for his daring strikes against the Pakistan army, were not spared. “I went to pay tribute with flowers at around 7 am but could not do so… I was inside the car. Some threw stones. The car was struck with sticks. Then I left,” said Siddique.
Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, had appealed to people via Facebook to come to pay their respects to the country’s founding father by visiting the museum. He urged people to come to Road No. 32 and place flowers. “This is not a political matter. This is to show our respect for our Independence and the man who gave it to us. Without #Bangabandhu there would be no #Bangladesh. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu,” he said. Joy later said it was a disgrace that people were beaten and stopped from paying their respects to Mujibur Rahman. “My condolences to all those injured in the beatings, including Kader Siddique,” he said on Facebook, adding that he “would like to thank the large crowds that came out to observe the black day”.
A sit-in and candlelight vigil held on Wednesday in front of Mujibur Rahman’s house to demand justice for all killings related to the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement turned ugly and the organisers, including national award-winning actress Rokeya Prachi, were physically assaulted.
Meanwhile, former PM Khaleda Zia’s BNP party Thursday held sit-in programmes across the country, demanding the arrest and trial of Hasina and her accomplices for the recent violence in the country.
Also, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder, former power secretary Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan and economist Wahiduddin Muhammad have been invited to take the oath of office on Friday as members of the interim govt.
The assailants, armed with sticks, had taken up positions on roads near the residence since the morning and were also seen stopping media personnel from taking photos and videos. The mob apparently comprised students who were seen checking the ID cards of passersby and detaining those they considered suspicious. Even heroes of the 1971 Liberation War, including the legendary Abdul Kader Siddique who was celebrated as the “Tiger of Tangail and Bangabir” for his daring strikes against the Pakistan army, were not spared. “I went to pay tribute with flowers at around 7 am but could not do so… I was inside the car. Some threw stones. The car was struck with sticks. Then I left,” said Siddique.
Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, had appealed to people via Facebook to come to pay their respects to the country’s founding father by visiting the museum. He urged people to come to Road No. 32 and place flowers. “This is not a political matter. This is to show our respect for our Independence and the man who gave it to us. Without #Bangabandhu there would be no #Bangladesh. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu,” he said. Joy later said it was a disgrace that people were beaten and stopped from paying their respects to Mujibur Rahman. “My condolences to all those injured in the beatings, including Kader Siddique,” he said on Facebook, adding that he “would like to thank the large crowds that came out to observe the black day”.
A sit-in and candlelight vigil held on Wednesday in front of Mujibur Rahman’s house to demand justice for all killings related to the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement turned ugly and the organisers, including national award-winning actress Rokeya Prachi, were physically assaulted.
Meanwhile, former PM Khaleda Zia’s BNP party Thursday held sit-in programmes across the country, demanding the arrest and trial of Hasina and her accomplices for the recent violence in the country.
Also, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder, former power secretary Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan and economist Wahiduddin Muhammad have been invited to take the oath of office on Friday as members of the interim govt.
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