Gono Odhikar Parishad block road in Paltan to protest attack on Nur

The protest leads to horrendous traffic congestion in the busy area after offices closed

The Gono Odhikar Parishad has blocked Dhaka’s Paltan intersection to protest the attack on the party’s President Nurul Haque Nur.

Party activists took up positions at the intersection around 4:15pm, blocking traffic on the four-way intersection. The protest gave rise to horrendous traffic congestion in the busy area after offices closed.

Mahmudul Haque, chief of Paltan Police Station, said: “They blocked the road to conduct their demonstration. All of the four roads converging at the Paltan intersection were blocked. We are standing at a distance and are trying to understand the situation.”

Activists of the Gono Odhikar Parishad became embroiled in a clash with Jatiya Party activists in front of the latter’s central offices on the evening of Aug 30.

The Gono Odhikar Parishad called a torch procession over the clash. At 9:30pm that night, after the march, they were preparing to hold a press briefing at the party offices in the Bijoynagar area when law enforcers baton charged them. Nur was injured in the attack.

The incident sparked a strong reaction in political circles as various political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, condemned the incident.

The next day, leaders and activists of Nur's party held protests across the country, including in Dhaka. Jatiya Party offices were attacked, vandalised, and set on fire in several places.

Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary to the chief advisor, said a judicial investigation would be conducted into the attack.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the Army used force that day in a bid to prevent “mob violence” after “all attempts at a peaceful solution were rejected”.