Staff Reporter:
Police yesterday blocked a march by a group of protesters under the banner of ‘July Oikya’ in front of the city’s Nirbachan Bhaban as they attempted to march towards the Election Commission (EC).
The protesters were demanding the cancellation of nomination papers submitted by candidates of the Jatiya Party (Japa) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) alliance for the upcoming national election scheduled for February 12.
Later, a five-member delegation from the protesters entered the Election Commission and submitted a memorandum, which was received by EC Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz.
In the memorandum, they also demanded the cancellation of nomination papers filed by candidates of the 14-party alliance, allies of the Awami League, alongside the Japa and NDF alliance candidates in the 13th parliamentary election.
The NDF, a newly formed political alliance launched last month, is led by a faction of the Jatiya Party chaired by Anisul Islam Mahmud and the Jatiya Party (JP) led by Anwar Hossain Manju. Anisul Islam Mahmud serves as the president of the alliance, while Anwar Hossain Manju is its chief adviser.
Referring to the Jatiya Party led by Golam Mohammad (GM) Quader, the memorandum stated that the party had fielded candidates for 244 seats in the election. “Under the leadership of GM Quader, the Awami League was supported in establishing fascism,” the memorandum alleged.
The protesters further claimed that the Awami League’s allies, including the Jatiya Party and the 14-party alliance, openly supported enforced disappearances, killings and genocides in Bangladesh over the past 16 years.
They alleged that the 14-party alliance was involved in ‘anti-Bangladesh activities under Indian prescrip-tion’.
