The leaders and activists of Left Democratic Alliance locked in a scuffle with police at Matshyabhaban and Shahbagh crossing in the capital Wednesday afternoon after their march towards prime minister’s office was barricaded.
About 500 leaders and activists of LDA brought out the procession from Purana Paltan at about 12:30 pm to observe ‘black day’, denouncing the December 30, 2018, general elections that was marked by widespread rigging and ousting of opposition agents from polling centres.
As the procession reached Matshyabhaban crossing at about 12:45 pm, a good number of cops barricaded them and the LDA activists breached the barricade after a brief scuffle to march ahead.
Police again barricaded the procession with barbed wire fence when it reached near Shahbagh crossing at about 1:00 pm.
The LDA activists again breached the fence and were engaged in a clash with police for about five minutes before holding a short rally.
Addressing the rally, LDA coordinator and Communist Party of Bangladesh praesidium member Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan denounced the police hindrance on their procession.
He announced to hold a rally in front of the Election Commission office in Dhaka on January 6 demanding the resignation of the commission that arranged the ‘farcical’ December 30, 2018 elections.
Ganasamhati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki termed the government as ‘illegal’ and demanded a free and fair election under a non-party neutral government to allow people to exercise people’s vote.
He alleged that the Awami League leaders and activists in collusion with the administration had snatched the people’s vote by stuffing ballot boxes in favour of AL candidates on the night following December 29, 2018, hours before the beginning of the election on December 30.
LDA activists resumed the procession after the rally but police again barricaded it near Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University administrative building when Revolutionary Workers’ Party general secretary Saiful Haque announced the end of their day’s programme.
