Students form human chain near Khaleda ‘house’

Students have formed a human chain near the Gulshan building , where BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is now living.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 31 Jan 2015, 08:46 AM
Updated : 31 Jan 2015, 11:28 AM

They were demanding withdrawal of the strikes and blockade by the BNP during Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations.

Over two hundred students formed the human chain for around half an hour at 10:30am on Saturday at the end of the Street-86, Gulshan-2, where the building is situated.

A group of 40-50 students and their parents submitted a memorandum to Khaleda demanding withdrawal of blockade and shutdown during the tests across Bangladesh.

The students of Badda Girls High School formed the 'human chain' carrying placards with slogans -“We want to sit for SSC exams safely”, “Don’t bomb us”, “We want to go to school safely”-written on them.

Headmaster Abdullah Al Mamun said, “We, the teachers, students and guardians, are worried over the blockades and shutdowns.”

“We do not object to movements,” he said.

But he insisted the agitation should be peaceful and not threaten the security of students sitting for exams. .

“The SSC exams will have to be kept out of the purview of blockades and shutdowns.

“For this , we are holding this peaceful programme to attract the attention of the political parties,” he said.

Grade-eight student Rebeka Sultana said, “We cannot go to school fearing petrol bombs.”

“How our elder sisters will sit for the SSC exams from Monday?” she asked.

“We will not be able to go to school if the bombings continue. We want an end to this,” she said.

Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have assured that they will provide necessary security to the exam centres and for transportation of the examinees.

The government will decide on Sunday whether the tests will be held as per schedule after BNP called 72-hour general strike across Bangladesh from Sunday, a day before the tests are scheduled to start.

At least 40 people have died, most of them burnt to death, in arson on vehicles during the blockade called by BNP on Jan 5.

Around 1.5 million students are taking the SSC and equivalent examinations this year.