Political parties, rights defenders and academicians in separate statements criticised the Awmi League led government for its intolerance towards others' opinion demonstrated during brazen attacks and blanket arrests of oil, gas committee protesters during Sunday's hartal.
They said that the brazen attacks on the protesters unmasked the government's fascist intolerance towards other's views.
They demanded immediate release of the protesters.
In a statement, 63 rights defenders and teachers of different universities condemned the attack on protesters, especially on women, and their wholesale arrests during the hartal.
They said that every conscious citizen has the right to protest against the government for its irregularities or any action contrary to the people's interests.
by the state is the democratic right of every conscious citizen.
They said that the tactics applied to infringe democratic right of the citizens exposed the fascist way of governance.
In the statement they protested against the government for obstructing the demonstration of the protesters and their wholesale arrests during the hartal called by National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port in support of its demanding for scrapping gas production sharing contracts with Conoco Philips.
They said that the citizens' national committee has been working for a decade to safeguard Bangladesh's national resources from plunder.
The committee, they said, had taken only peaceful programmes to oppose anti national deals.
'We condemn planned barbaric attacks on the protesters, especially on women, and their wholesale arrests,' they said.
Prominent among the signatories were Justice Golam Rabbani, Professor Akmal Hossain, Firdaus Azim, Hameeda Hossain, Dalem Chandra Barman, Helal Uddin Khan Arefin, Shahidul Alam, Meghna GuhaThakurta, Khushi Kabir, Shirin Huq, Rahnuma Ahmed, Geetiara Nasrin, Omar Tarek, Amena Mohsin, Ainun Nahar, Nasrun Khandkar, Raihan Sharif, Masood Imran, Selim Reza Newton, Manas Chowdhury, Sayed Ferdous.
Condemning the attacks and arrests, Communist Party of Bangladesh president Manjurul Ahsan Khan and general secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim said the actions exposed the government's fascist attitude.
Such repressive action, they said, would fail to keep the citizens away from the path of movement for safeguarding national resources as it did in the past.
Workers' Party of Bangladesh president Rashed Khan Menon, MP, and general secretary Anisur Rahman Mallik condemned the attacks and the arrests of the demonstrators and demanded their immediate release.
They also demanded scrapping of the anti-state contracts signed with Conoco Philips.
Jatiya Mukti Council president Badruddin Umar and secretary Faizul Hakim criticised the regime of Sheikh Hasina for the dictatorial action on the oil, gas committee protesters.
The United People's Democratic Front president Prasit Bikash Khisha and general secretary Rabi Shankar Chakma in statement condemned the wholesale arrests and barbaric attack on the protesters by cordoning off the offices of political parties during the hartal.
They said that the real face of the government was exposed by its aggressive action against the protesters intended to hide the contents of the production sharing deal.
They said that the people cannot accept any deal that compromises national interests.
The Biplabi Communist Party demanded immediate release of its general secretary Saiful Huq and 18 other leaders.
Democratic Youth Forum, the Pahari Chhatra Parishad, and the Hill Women's Federation condemned the attack on the protesters during the hartal and demanded immediate release of the detained activists.
Source : New Age
