Several leaders and activists including Ganatantra Mancha leader Jonayed Saki were injured on Wednesday after police charged batons on a secretariat-bound procession in protest against the government's price hike of electricity and gas, excessive price hike of essentials, and laundering hundreds of crores of taka from banks.
Police also arrested several people from the procession.
Witnesses said Ganatantra Mancha leaders and workers faced police barricades when they tried to move toward the Bangladesh Secretariat from Zero Point with their procession after holding a rally in front of Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Wednesday afternoon. At one stage, police swooped on them when they tried to move towards the secretariat.
Biplobi Workers Party general secretary Saiful Huque strongly condemned and protested the attack of police and baton charge on the Ganatantra Mancha procession.
Saiful Huque said, "We were observing our programme peacefully, but police obstructed us. At one stage, police turned violent and charged batons on us indiscriminately leaving minimum of our 50 leaders and workers injured. They were sent to hospitals. Police had beaten up Ganasanghati Andolon's chief coordinator Jonayed Saki mercilessly."
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)'s Ramna Zone's ADC Shah Alam Mohammad Aktarul Islam said they pledged that they would go back with a peaceful after coming near the secretariat. "But, they tried to enter the Bangladesh Secretariat crossing the barricades put by police. Though we tried to make them understood repeatedly, they tried to cross the barricades. It appeared that those who were pushing the barricades were trained people. We think that those people were brought through hiring."
Prior to the procession, Jonayed Saki told the rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club that a vested quarter had become desperate to keep the government in power. "The government takes mega projects for mega looting. The looted money is then shared by all. It would not be possible to unseat this government from power without taking to the street. Don't depend on foreigners as they only know how to take advantages. We will have to bring the rights back of people ensuring voting rights of people through a widespread movement."
