Bangladesh minority front leader threatens ‘Dhaka blockade’ if demands not met

The Oikya Morcha holds a rally to push for their eight-point demand list at the Shaheed Minar

Bangladesh Hindu League Secretary General Shankar Sarkar has threatened a blockade of capital Dhaka if the eight-point charter of demand of Sankhyalaghu Oikya Morcha, a platform led by the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Oikya Parishad, is not implemented.

“We are fighting for our rights. The Anti-discrimination Student Movement has given rise to discrimination in the state. We will continue with our demands. If necessary, we will besiege Dhaka with 5,000,000 people. We will only leave after our demands are fulfilled,” he added.

He issued the warning of a blockade at a mass rally at the capital’s Central Shaheed Minar to demand the implementation of the eight-point list of demand put forward by the Sankhyalaghu Oikya Morcha on Saturday.

After the rally, the alliance also organised a protest march, which proceeded towards Doel Chattar and TSC before concluding at the Raju Memorial Sculpture.

Various organisations for minority communities have been agitating on the streets for their demands to be met for quite some time.

Nirmal Rosario, the president of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, read out the demands and called for the passage of a Minority Protection Act during the rally.

In addition to the eight demands, he also called for an end to discrimination regarding the reading of scriptures during government programmes and parliament sessions, in the constitution, religious education, budget for religion, and education.

Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad President Nimchandra Bhowmik said: “We were all there for the country’s liberation movement and the mass uprising. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, minorities – everyone participated together. But today, we are the victims of oppression and discrimination. This is why we have set out the eight-point charter of demand today.”

“The essence of the eight-point demand is the rule of law, establishment of equal rights, equal dignity, and equal opportunities in all spheres.”