Leaders and activists of three BNP-affiliated organisations—the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal—are demonstrating their support for the Dhaka-Akhaura long march by gathering at key points along the Dhaka-Sylhet highway with banners and festoons.
The long march was initiated in protest against the 2 December attack on Bangladesh’s Assistant High Commission in Agartala, India, where supporters of an organisation named Hindu Sangharsh Samiti stormed the premises, removed the Bangladeshi flag, set it on fire, and caused extensive vandalism.
The march commenced at 9am on Wednesday (11 December), from BNP’s central office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka.
As the convoy moved out of the capital, BNP supporters lined both sides of the road, greeting it with waving hands, flowers, and chants.
Slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka—Dhaka, Dhaka!” and “Beware of India’s agents!” resonated across the route, while national and party flags fluttered in the hands of demonstrators.
Local BNP leaders and activists joined roadside rallies at various points, including Jatrabari, Shanir Akhra, Matuail, Signboard, Chittagong Road, Kanchpur, and Tarabo on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway.
A significant gathering is scheduled at Bhairab Mor, with Jubo Dal President Monayem Munna attending as the chief guest and Swechchhasebak Dal President SM Zillani presiding.
The march is set to conclude with a rally in Akhaura, where the roles of the two leaders will be reversed.
Earlier, on 8 December, BNP’s youth, student, and volunteer wings marched towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, protesting the same incident.
The procession was stopped by law enforcement at Rampura, after which a delegation submitted a memorandum to the Indian High Commission.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in a statement, condemned the attack on the Agartala Assistant High Commission as a premeditated act.
He labelled the desecration of the Bangladeshi flag and the vandalism within the diplomatic premises a blatant violation of the Vienna Convention.
