Students forced to flank road braving hostile weather to greet minister in Gopalganj

Defying government directives, students of an educational institute have been allegedly forced to stand along a road braving inclement weather to welcome a minister.

Students of West Kotaliparha Union Institution in Gopalganj had flanked along the road for two hours on Saturday noon to welcome Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq.
 
The minister came to Kotaliparha to visit Memorial Museum of Hemayat Bahini, which played a significant role in the Liberation War, and to join a rally of liberation fighters.
 
The students lined up along the road welcomed the minister with flowers as he reached around 2pm at the invitation of the Bahini chief Hemayat Uddin.
 
Among others, local lawmaker, Upazila chairman, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Awami League’s upazila unit president and general secretary had accompanied the minister.
 
The government on Jan 27 last year prohibited the authorities from making the primary school students stand along the road to welcome public representatives.
 
Several students said they were forced to stand along the road to welcome the minister.
 
They said they drenched in the rain while standing there.
 

Kotaliparha UNO Mohammad Michael said, “I had forbidden lining up of students along the road, but the organisers did not pay heed.”

The institution’s Head Teacher Mosharraf Hossain said, “The organisers forcibly took our students to keep them standing along the road.”

Hemayet Uddin refused to make any comment on the issue.

Hailed from Kotaliparha, Uddin had fled Pakistan Army to join independence war.

Under his leadership, Hemayat Bahin fought in the greater Faridpur area and freed Kotaliparha on Dec 3, 1971 defeating occupation forces.

The government awarded him Bir Bikram title for his bravery during the war.

He joined Awami League after serving BNP for a long time before 1996.