Demonstrations cause huge public sufferings across major parts of capital

BNP-led demonstrations and victory marches brought traffic to a standstill in and around the Kakrail, Shahbagh and Gulistan areas on Thursday.

Long queues of vehicles were seen in these areas as a result of the movements enforced to press home different demands.

In the afternoon, NCP is also expected to hold demonstrations at Jatrabari Tower, demanding reforms in the Election Commission and arrangement of local polls before general polls.

BNP activists have been observing non-stop sit-in and blockade movement at Kakrail intersection, and Matsya Bhaban intersection demanding their key leader Ishraque Hossain be appointed as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

BNP demonstrations also disrupted vehicular movement in front of Nagar Bhaban, the DSCC headquarters, in Gulistan.

Later, the High Court gave a verdict in favour of Ishraque’s bid as the next Dhaka South mayor, prompting BNP members to bring out victory marches in Kakrail and Gulistan.

Meanwhile, Chhatra Dal, BNP’s student wing, has continued blocking the movement of all kinds of vehicles, except of ambulances and patient carriers, at Shahbagh and Hotel InterContinental intersections since Thursday morning.

Chhatra Dal is demanding fair and swift trial against the perpetrators behind the murder of its activist Shahriar Alam Shammo. Shammo, a student of Dhaka University (DU), was murdered last week at Suhrawardy Uddyan.

Six have so far been detained over the killing, but Chhatra Dal alleges the real culprits are still at large as the authorities are not pursuing the case diligently. Chhatra Dal also demands a safer environment on DU campus.