Several hundreds of students and local residents staged demonstrations on Wednesday demanding appointment of advisors from northern Bangladesh in the interim government.
Demonstrators blocked the Dhaka-Rangpur Highway on Wednesday to press their demands.
At around 11:30 AM, students from various educational institutions gathered at Lalbagh and marched toward Begum Rokeya University, eventually reaching Modern Intersection. By 12:30 PM, they occupied the highway, bringing traffic to a standstill.
The protesters accused the interim government of regional discrimination, pointing out that while 13 advisors are from the Chattogram division, none are from the northern regions of Rangpur or Rajshahi. They warned that such neglect would exacerbate regional disparities. Speakers at the protest included Imran Ahmed, Ashfaq Ahmed, Nahid Hasan Khandakar, Imtiaz Ahmed, and Yasir Arafat, representing the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Rangpur.
Imran Ahmed highlighted historical grievances, stating, "Rangpur is the birthplace of the July Uprising, marked by the sacrifice of Abu Sayeed. On August 10, the Chief Advisor, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, promised that Rangpur would become the country's top district. Yet, we have no representation in the government." He demanded the appointment of multiple capable advisors from the region to rectify the perceived neglect.
The protesters issued a three-point demand: appoint at least four advisors from the Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions to ensure inclusive development, eliminate regional discrimination in appointing bureaucrats and officials, and require weekly public updates from each advisor on their progress.
Additionally, they insisted that no advisor opposed to the July Uprising should hold office and called for consultations with regional student leaders on policy matters.
The demonstration lasted for about an hour, causing severe traffic congestion on both sides of the highway. Similar protests had occurred on Monday and Tuesday in front of Rangpur Press Club, where demonstrators also blocked roads to voice their demands.
