The students of Dhaka University have withdrawn their blockade at Shahbagh intersection protesting against attacks on temples, houses and businesses of the Hindu community in different parts of the country.
The students made a 7-point demand and called off their blockade after around four hours. They also issued a 24-hour ultimatum to meet their demands.
A section of DU students blocked Shahbagh intersection of the city at around 10:30am Monday.
University teachers also expressed solidarity with the protesters. Vehicular movement from Shahbagh to Paltan, Science Laboratory, Bangla Motor and TSC came to a halt due to the blockade.
The 7-point demand made by the protesters are: Renovate the temples damaged by the attackers, give compensation for the vandalism and looting of the houses and businesses, ensure stringent punishment of the attackers and give compensation to the families of victims of rape and murder, make a law in the parliament for highest punishment of the attackers on temples and houses of minority communities, form a separate ministry and commission for minorities, modernize Hindu welfare trust and upgrade it to a foundation and allocate 15 per cent of GDP in the national budget for the minorities.
The protest programme was called off at around 2:15pm through a speech from DU Jagannath Hall’s student and hall unit Chhatra League's organising secretary Jayjit Dutta.
He said, “You call the home minister to take necessary steps by contacting the general students within 24 hours. We would take immediate steps if our demands are not met within 24 hours and if any fresh attack is launched anywhere in the country. We are calling off our protest programme by giving the authorities a 24-hour ultimatum considering the inconveniences of people.”
He also said the high-ups of the government are yet to give them any assurance.
“ISCKON Bangladesh has expressed solidarity with us and sent a memorandum to the prime minister. The prime minister has assured them. We are hopeful,” Jayjit said.
Ealier, Jagannath Hall provost Mihir Lal Saha, former provost of the hall Asim Kumar Sarkar and law department professor Gobinda Chandra Mandal also spoke during the protest.
ISCKON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Bangladesh expressed their solidarity and joined the protest at around 12 in the afternoon.
In his speech, ISCKON Bangladesh’s general secretary Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari called for exemplary punishment of the attackers.