Chhatra Dal marches demanding justice for Dipu Das and Ayesha killings

Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal staged a protest march at Dhaka University demanding justice for the killing of Dipu Das in Mymensingh and the burning to death of Ayesha, the daughter of a BNP leader, after her family home was set on fire in Lakshmipur. Leaders of the organisation warned that those trying to destabilise the country would be resisted firmly.

The march began from the TSC on Sunday afternoon, December 21, circled key roads of the university and ended with a brief rally at the base of the Raju Sculpture at TSC. Protesters chanted slogans including “We want justice”, “Dipu Das burned to death, what did the administration do”, and “Mob terror will not be tolerated in this land”.

At the rally, Ganesh Chandra Roy, president of the Dhaka University unit of Chhatra Dal, said that after August 5 people had dreamed of a Bangladesh where Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians could freely practise their faiths and ideologies while contributing to the country from their workplaces. He said that vision has yet to be realised.

He alleged that since August 5 a group has been deliberately attempting to destabilise the country through rumours, incitement and the creation of mobs. Ganesh Chandra Roy said that beyond protest, exemplary punishment must be ensured for those responsible for burning Dipu Chandra Das and child Ayesha Akter to death, warning that Chhatra Dal would strongly resist those trying to create unrest in a fascist manner.

At the beginning of the rally, Chhatra Dal central president Rakibul Islam Rakib offered prayers for the departed soul of martyred Osman Hadi and expressed deep condolences to his family. He demanded that by the end of the day the nation be informed who killed Hadi, where they are now and what action has been taken against them.

Rakibul Islam said those who sacrificed their lives in the July–August mass uprising could never have imagined that Osman Hadi would be murdered, Dipu Chandra Das burned alive, or child Ayesha Akter killed so brutally in this country. Condemning what he described as inhuman and distorted mindsets, he said Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal would deploy all its strength to resist attempts to entrench extremist mob culture.