Leaders and activists of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the BNP, staged a sit-in protest at Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection on Thursday morning, demanding justice for the murder of Dhaka University JCD leader Shahriar Alam Shammo. The demonstration has brought traffic to a halt in the area.
The protest began around 10:00 a.m., led by JCD central president Rakibul Islam, with over a hundred activists participating. Earlier, from around 9:30 a.m., JCD members had started gathering at Shahbagh.
Protesters at the scene stated that the sit-in would continue until 5:00 p.m. today, and that leaders and activists from different branches of the organization were joining throughout the day.
JCD President Rakibul Islam said, "We’ve yet to receive any assurance or see any visible progress in the investigation into Shammo`s murder. The administration is playing hide-and-seek with us."
On Wednesday, the Dhaka University administration released a statement saying that three individuals had been detained in connection with the murder.
However, Rakibul Islam criticized the statement, saying, “The administration hasn’t disclosed the identities of the detainees. It seems they are still unsure and lack concrete information about the suspects.”
Due to the sit-in, significant traffic congestion has developed in and around Shahbagh, causing inconvenience to commuters.
JCD had announced today’s protest through a statement issued on Wednesday. The statement said that the sit-in would be held from morning until 5:00 p.m. in front of Shahbagh and the Intercontinental Hotel, protesting negligence in the investigation of Shammo`s murder, demanding the arrest of the main perpetrators, and calling for exemplary punishment through a fair trial.
