Friday, March 29, 2024

Hand in hand in candlelight vigil

Shahbagh Protests
Hand in hand in candlelight vigil
People joined a candlelight vigil the protesters held in the Shahbagh crossing by lighting candles across the country on Thursday evening symbolically dispelling the darkness war criminals had cast on the nation.
Protesters, after the candlelight vigil, said that they would hold a grand rally at Shahbagh at 3:00pm today. The next programmes would be announced at the rally.
The protests at Shahbagh, which passed the 10th consecutive day on Thursday demanding death penalty for all war criminals, held the candlelight vigil at 7:00pm amid one minute’s silence, in memory of three million people who laid down their
lives and two lakh women who faced torture by the Pakistan army and their collaborators during the war of independence in 1971.
Protesters also paid respect to an Agrani Bank lift operator man who, after being wounded in an attack by Jamaat and Shibir activists on Wednesday, died in hospital on Thursday.
People from all walks of life indoors, at work and on the streets across the country lighted candles as the clock struck seven evening. Protesters at Shahbagh also brought out a procession holding torches to push for their demand.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, also joined in by lighting candles in Gana Bhaban, her residence.
Lawmakers, government and non-government officials, and ordinary people from one end to the other of the country came out lining along the roads to light candles with the day’s transaction coming to a halt for a minute.
About 50 students leaders of anti-autocrat movement of the 1980s joined the candlelight vigil at the protests, spearheaded by the youths.
Former student leaders included former DUCSU vice-president Sultan Muhammad Manusr, former DUCSU general secretary Mustak Hossain, former Chhatra Union leaders Anwarul Haq and Ruhin Hossain Prince, former JSD Chhatra League leaders Shafi Ahmed and Abul Hasib Khan, former Chhatra Samity leader Abdullah Tarek, former Chhatra Maitree leader Ragib Ahsan Munna and former Chhatra Front leader Bazlur Rashid Firoz.
Protesters raised their hands on a countdown and lighted candles for several minutes before breaking the silence shouting ‘Jay Bangla, Jay Bangla.’
Other popular slogans such as ‘Phansi, phansi, phansi chai, Quader Mollar phansi chai’ (Hang Quader Molla), ‘Ka te Quader Molla, tui razakar, (Ka for Quader Molla, you are a collaborator),’ ‘Janaganer dabi, Quader Mollar phansi (People want death penalty for Quader Molla),’ ‘Jamaat-e-Islami made in Pakistan’ and ‘Tomar amar thikana, Padma, Meghna, Jamuna (Our address is Padma, Meghna and Jamuna)’ followed.
Students leaders and bloggers at a meeting earlier in the day decided to hold the rally this afternoon.
Some leaders and protesters told New Age that ruling alliance student organisations had proposed that they should decide how long they would continue protesting in this manner as it was inconveniencing people and patients being treated in BSMMU and BIRDEM hospitals, close to the protest venue.
The meeting did not make any final decision on this and the leaders are expected to sit again today to make a decision, a leader said.
Fine arts students distributed to people copies of a speech of Jahanara Imam against the collaborators.
Actor Subarna Mostafa and singer Haider Hossain joined the protests on the day. Mahfuja Akhter, a housewife attending the protests, said that she had finished her daily chores early so that she could be a part of the candlelight vigil.
People of Enayetpur in Sirajganj on the day distributed 4,000 pithas to protesters in the afternoon.
Lawmakers held joined the candlelight vigil by lighting candles on the south plaza of the national assembly complex during the maghrib prayer break. The deputy speaker, Shawkat Ali, led the lawmakers. Political parties held similar programmes in places across the capital Dhaka.
BGMEA officials said that apparel workers across the country had also joined the candlelight vigil.
Cricketers playing the Bangladesh Premier League also lighted candles at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Reports reaching from outside the capital said the candlelight vigil was held with similar fervour in all the places, inlcuding Chittagong, Rajshahi, Barisal, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Kishoreganj, Sylhet, Chandpur, Brahmanbaria, Bandarban, Dinajpur, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj, Comilla, Satkhira, Khulna, Kushtia, Gazipur and Bogra.
Students and teachers of educational institutions such as the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Jahangirnagar University, Chittagong University, Rajshahi University, Khulna University, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology in Gazipur, Dhaka Medical College and Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College in Bogra, observed the programme.
In Chittagong, people lighted candles in front of the Chittagong Press Club, in Sylhet at the Central Shaheed Minar, in Rajshahi in Alupatti Square, in Barisal in the Ashwini Kumar Town Hall and in Rangpur in the Town Hall.
The programme was also observed in Feroz-Jahangir Square in Mymansingh, in the thana crossing in Sherpur, at Rangmahal in Kishoreganj. People of Chandpur, Brahmanbaria, Bandarban, Dinajpur, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj held programmes near shaheed minars.
Expatriate Bangladeshis also held candlelight vigil expressing solidarity with the Shahbagh protests.

Courtesy of New Age

Related News

bKash communications chief Mahfuz Sadique dies at 40

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Mahfuz Sadique, chief communications officer of mobile financial services firm bKash, passed away in Bangladesh capital Dhaka Friday morning. He was 40. Mahfuz died around 9:00am while undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital, bKash said in a statement. Mahfuz, who began his career as a journalist at New Age, ... Read more

Prices for potatoes increase by 229% from the previous year

Prices for potatoes varied from Tk16 to Tk22 per kg at this time last year. News Desk : dhakamirror.com Despite the presence of both new and old potatoes in the market, potato prices have soared by 229% compared to late December last year. According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), the selling price for ... Read more

LGED engineer dead, UNO among 3 injured in Panchagarh car crash

News Desk : dhakamirror.com An engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) was killed and three other government officials were injured when the vehicle of a UNO hit a roadside tree in Panchagarh Sadar upazila early today. The deceased was identified as Abu Sayed, 33, upazila engineer of LGED from Pirganj upazila of Thakurgaon. ... Read more

UNHCR calls for rescue of Rohingyas stranded in Andaman Sea

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has made an urgent appeal to all countries in the region, particularly those in the area surrounding the Andaman Sea, to swiftly deploy their full search and rescue capacities in response to reported vessels in distress with hundreds of Rohingya at risk of perishing. ... Read more

Over 200 RMG workers injured in Comilla while evacuating factory during earthquake

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Over two hundred garment workers in Cumilla’s Chauddagram have been injured while trying to evacuate the factory building of Amir Shirt Garment Limited during today’s earthquake. A 5.5 magnitude earthquake at a depth of 10km jolted Dhaka, and parts of the country at 9:35am today (2 December). The epicentre of the ... Read more

Daughter hacked father to death in Chattogram

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A father was hacked to death by his own daughter during an altercation over a trivial matter at Lohagara upazila in Chattogram on Friday (1 December). The deceased was identified as Abdur Rahman, 50, of Putibila Sarai village under the upazila. Police have detained the daughter, Humaira Begum, 23, soon after ... Read more

HSC results: Dhaka has most GPA-5 achievers, while Barishal has highest pass rate

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka had the highest number of GPA-5 recipients in the HSC exams, while Barishal Education Board had the highest pass rate among nine educational boards. Education Minister Dipu Moni announced today that the overall pass rate in the nine general boards is 75.90 percent. In terms of pass rates, Barishal ranked ... Read more

PSC postpones 45th BCS written tests

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) has decided to postpone the written tests for the 45th Bangladesh Civil Service examination, which was scheduled to be held on 27 November. The announcement came through a notification signed by Ananda Kumar Biswas, the exam controller of PSC, issued on Friday. PSC held a ... Read more

After stabbing younger sister to death woman ‘kills herself’ in Hazaribagh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A woman reportedly killed herself after stabbing her younger sister to death in the capital’s Hazaribagh area today. Police said the incident took place in the Kalunagar area at around 12am on Monday (13 November). The deceased have been identified as Jasmine Akhtar, 44, and her younger sister Nasreen Akhtar, 30. ... Read more

Oman stops issuing new visas to citizens of Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Sultanate of Oman has suspended the issuance of visas across all categories for Bangladeshi nationals, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) said on Tuesday. The decision was effective from Tuesday, reported Oman-based English newspaper the Times of Oman referring to the Royal Oman Police. The report said that the ROP confirmed ... Read more

Dhaka girl Nupur takes over as chairman of Unilever for a day

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Seventeen-year-old Nupur from Dhaka, had the opportunity to take over Unilever’s chairman position for one day on Thursday. There, she symbolically carried out the roles and responsibilities of Zaved Akhtar, the chairman and managing director of Unilever Bangladesh, said a press release. Nupur being an active youth club member, works for ... Read more

Hospitals must follow guidelines, orders HC

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The High Court on Thursday asked the government to take steps to make it compulsory to follow the relevant guidelines for the prevention of performing unnecessary caesarean section surgery at government and private hospitals and clinics. The court has also directed the government to widely circulate the guidelines within six months. ... Read more

Woman delivers birth to five babies at DMCH

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A woman has given birth to five premature babies. The quintuplets were born at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) at 10am on Thursday to Mansura Begum, 22, the wife of CNG driver Md Mamun from Bandardia village in Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi district. One of the newborns, however, died shortly ... Read more

Tk8.44 cr fine imposed to Kazi Farms, 3.44 crore to Suguna Food

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Competition Commission has fined Kazi Farms Group and Saguna Food and Feeds on charges of market manipulation causing abnormal rise in broiler chicken prices. BCC officials said that the companies must deposit the fine amount to the BCC within 10 working days. If they fail to deposit the fine ... Read more

Heritage volunteers visit national museum

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The heritage volunteers participating in UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers Programme 2023 visited national museum in Dhaka on Sunday. The ten-day workshop programme organised by Nagar Upakhyan-Perceive started on October 1, said a press release. The Heritage volunteers’ team visited national museum which is on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list on ... Read more

Fare for Bangladesh-India trains to increase from November 10

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Ticket prices of three inter-country trains on Bangladesh-India routes are going to be hiked from November 10. The fares are going to increase due to high exchange rate of US dollar and rising travel tax, according to the Bangladesh Railway officials. The trains are – Maitree Express on Dhaka-Kolkata, Bandhan Express ... Read more

Man, nephew killed by lightning

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A man and his nephew were struck by lightning in Satarbari village of Longair union under Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh yesterday. The deceased were identified as Sohel Mondol, 40, a trader of pharmaceutical drugs, and his nephew Razib Mondol, 35 a rice trader in the village. Quoting locals, Raju Ahmed, officer-in-charge ... Read more

TV sales decline despite World Cup: Is streaming to blame?

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 captures the attention of sports enthusiasts across the world and an intriguing trend is emerging in Bangladesh’s television market. While events of this magnitude have traditionally led to an increase in TV sales, recent figures from September show a 30% decline compared to the same ... Read more

Heritage volunteers visit Paharpur archaeological museum

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The heritage volunteers participating in UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers Programme 2023 visited Paharpur archaeological museum in Naogaon on Friday. The ten-day workshop programme organised by Nagar Upakhyan-Perceive started on October 1, said a press release. The Heritage volunteers’ team visited Paharpur archaeological museum which is on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative ... Read more

Child among three dead as mud walls collapsed in rain in Gazipur

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Three people including an eight-year-old child died in separate incidents of mud walls collapsing during heavy rain in Sadar and Kaliakoir upazilas of Gazipur. The deceased are Faridul Islam, 8, son of Matiur Rahmon of Konabari Baimile under Sadar upazila, and Imarat Hossain, 65, and his wife Achia Begum, 56, of ... Read more