Activists and leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the BNP, have begun gathering at Shahbagh in Dhaka to mark the anniversary of the July mass uprising. Attendance has swelled as the day progresses.
A stage has been set up at Shahbagh facing the TSC (Teacher-Student Centre), and members of the central JCD leadership are already present. The main rally is scheduled to begin shortly.
Many JCD activists are arriving with national and party flags wrapped around their foreheads and arms, wearing headbands printed with the party’s name and logo.
Slogans such as “Mother and soil are calling, Tarique Rahman is coming,” “Tarique Rahman will return to Bangladesh like a hero,” and “No fear for Tarique Rahman, we haven’t left the streets,” echoed through the rally site.
JCD General Secretary Nasir Uddin, among the attendees, said, “Student politics has been tainted in the past. We in Chhatra Dal hope to replace that with a positive, credible, and principled political culture.”
BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman is expected to deliver the keynote address virtually. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other senior leaders are also scheduled to speak. The rally will be presided over by JCD President Rakibul Islam and moderated by General Secretary Nasir Uddin.
Meanwhile, in preparation for the event, roads in the surrounding area have been closed.
Movement has been restricted from Shahbagh to Katabon intersection, Hotel Intercontinental intersection, Shahbagh Police Station, and up to Matsya Bhaban. Vehicles are being diverted to alternative routes, although ambulances heading to nearby medical facilities, including the Bangladesh Medical University and Dhaka Medical College Hospital, are being allowed through.