Youths protest attempted attack on Gonojagoron Mancha

Shahbagh youths march towards Jatiya Press Club with a procession with sticks Tuesday afternoon to protest the attempted attack by Hefajat-e Islam men on April 6. Photo: Amran Hossain

Shahbagh youths march towards Jatiya Press Club with a procession with sticks Tuesday afternoon to protest the attempted attack by Hefajat-e Islam men on April 6. Photo: Amran Hossain

Youths of Gonojagoron Mancha brought out a procession with sticks Tuesday afternoon protesting the attempted attack on the Mancha by activists and supporters of Hefajat-e Islam on April 6.

Starting from the Shahbagh intersection, now popularly known as Projonmo Chattar, at 4:45pm, the processionists marched to Jatiya Press Club.

They returned to the Mancha at 6:00pm.

In an oblique reference to Hefajat, a Chittagong-based Islamists’ organisation, Imran H Sarker, spokesperson of the Gonojagoron Mancha, said, “We do not believe in violence. But a particular group is all out to attack us.”

On Monday, hundreds of people, dressed in red and green, holding the national flag and with women in the forefront, joined a Gonojagoron Mancha procession defying Hefajat-called shutdown and protesting its attack on a female journalist.

Earlier, on April 6, tension spread in Shahbagh and its adjacent areas as some activists of Hefajat-e Islam attempted to go near the Gonojagoron Mancha at Shahbagh intersection after their rally at Motijheel.

Police detained six Hefajat activists at Ramna Park on charge of attempt to attack Gonojagoron Mancha activists, said Shah Alam, officer-in-charge of Ramna Police Station.

Hefajat-e Islam has been demanding stern action against Gonojagoron Mancha youths, following propaganda that the organisers are atheists and that they have defamed Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Gonojagoron Mancha youths started demonstration on February 5 in Projonmo Chattar seeking death penalty to all war criminals.

Source: The Daily Star