Sacked members of the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Force protesting for their reinstatement in their jobs cordoned Bangladesh Army representatives at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon.
The besieging incident took place at about 4:00pm also for releasing Md Naimul Islam, arrested protest platform Sahajoddha chief coordinator, and continued for more than three hours with series of meetings between protest leaders and army representatives.
Protesters along with some of their infants at one point lay in front of the army officers鈥� convoy.听
When the army representatives came out of the Press Club following a series of meetings with the protesters representatives, army personnel charged batons on some protesters as they again created a barricade at Segunbagicha, said witnesses.听
The protesters first cleared the way at about 7:15pm when the army officers assured them of releasing Naimul Islam.
Protesters said that they would stay on in the Dhaka city and announce the next programme on Monday, if their demands were not accepted in writing and the arrested was not released.
Addressing reporters following an hour-long meeting with the protesters at about 3:30pm, Brigadier General Aminur Rahman said that they were scrutinising the applications and would resolve the issue at the soonest.
鈥榃e have already addressed 106 applications out of the 802 submitted. We will also address the rest of them soon. But we could not be able to consider those which were submitted by sacked soldiers on serious allegations because it is a disciplined force,鈥� said Aminur.
He also asked protesters to be patient as they were scrutinising their complaints sympathetically.
Sacked lance corporal Zahir Raihan said that the Inter Services Public Relation only shared a statement with assurance but they did not see its implementation.
He alleged that 10 protesting soldiers, including Naimul, was arrested for participating in the protest.
Asked for comment, the ISPR said that it would not make any comment.
During the protest, some protesters were seen asking the senior army officers to kill them, if they did not return their jobs.
The protesters began the demonstration in front of the National Press Club at about 12:00pm in which women and children also took part.
The police intercepted their march near Shaheed Jahangir Gate and army representatives came to the Press Club at about 2:00pm to hold the meeting.
An ISPR press release on Saturday said that any kinds of demonstration, meeting, procession and rally have been banned on Kochukhet Road, Bijoy Sarani via the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office and in areas beside Birsreshtha Shaheed Jahangir Gate, BAF Shaheen College to Mohakhali Flyover, Bhasantek, Matikata and ECB Chattwar from Sunday until further notice to ensure 鈥榩ublic movement and discipline鈥�.
When army representatives went to Khilkhet to stop the anti-disciplinary activities at about 2:00pm on Saturday, Naimul along with his two associates attacked a serving member of the Bangladesh Army with sharp weapons, said another ISPR release on Sunday.
The ISPR stated that Naimul was sacked from the force for demanding dowry from his wife and torturing her physically and mentally.
Sacked Armed forces members have been demanding that the interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and the chiefs of the three forces reinstate them in their jobs after a neutral investigation following the August 5 political changeover that ousted the Sheikh Hasina regime.
The fired members of the forces, under the banner of 鈥淪ahajoddha鈥� (fellow fighters), alleged that the fascist Awami League government had illegally sacked them because of their alleged political identity and on fake allegations of their taking drugs and involvement in extramarital affairs.
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Members of Bangladesh Army stand guard at the National Press Club in Dhaka during sacked armed forces members鈥� protests on Sunday.听 Focus Bangla photo
