Leaders of the National Citizen Party on Friday said that their party would take steps to address issues such as border killings and regional disparity.
During the party鈥檚 ongoing programme in the northern district of Thakurgaon, marking the first anniversary of the July uprising, the convener of the newly floated party, Nahid Islam, said that border killings and regional disparity were among聽 the leading issues in the Bangladesh-India border areas in the northern districts.
鈥楾he Border Security Force of India indiscriminately shoots and kills Bangladeshi citizens. The human rights of the people of Bangladesh are being violated,鈥� Nahid said while addressing a brief rally at the old bus-stand area in Thakurgaon on the fourth day of the party鈥檚 rally in the northern districts as part of its July 1- August 5 countrywide programme to mark the first anniversary of the uprising.
From January to May, at least 13 Bangladeshis were killed and 29 others injured by the Indian Border Security Force, according to data from Ain o Salish Kendra, a human rights and legal aid organisation in Bangladesh.
Nahid also criticised India鈥檚 push-in attempts and said that Indian Muslims were pushed into Bangladesh by being labelled as illegal immigrants.
The BSF has pushed at least 1,798 people, including Rohingyas and Indian nationals, into Bangladesh since May 7.
鈥榃e want to warn that it is not Hasina鈥檚 Bangladesh. It is student-people鈥檚 Bangladesh after the uprising. Bangladesh will be run by pro-Bangladeshis. We will anyhow end border killings and regional disparity in the northern districts, including Thakurgaon,鈥� the NCP leader said.
Nahid, also a former central leader of Students Against Discrimination that spearheaded the July uprising to oust the authoritarian Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, said farmers in Thakurgaon were neglected and they did not get fair prices of their crops.
The NCP began the July 1- August 5 programme from Rangpur by offering prayers to uprising martyr Abu Sayeed on July 1.
A group of student and youth leaders who led the uprising formed the NCP on February 28.
鈥榃e want to work for farmers,鈥� Nahid said, mentioning that children of the farmers in different universities began the July uprising with a dream for a new Bangladesh and the NCP wanted to translate the dream into reality.
Emphasising the developments in education, health, employment, information technology and transport sectors, he said that development would be considered as actual development when the districts in the margin would be developed.
NCP leaders and activists also held another rally at Pirganj upazila in Thakurgaon, where the party鈥檚 senior joint convener Samanta Sharmeen stated that NCP would continue their struggle until the state structure changed.
She sought people鈥檚 support for the NCP to continue the struggle.
Earlier in the morning, Nahid inaugurated the party鈥檚 upazila office in Panchagarh鈥檚 Atwari, where party鈥檚 chief organiser for North Sarjis Alam alleged that some people from some political parties were continuing extortion at Atwari, which was earlier done by ousted Awami League.
On the fourth day of the party鈥檚 programme, NCP leaders and activists, including the party鈥檚 member secretary Akhter Hossain, chief organiser for South Hasnat Abdullah, chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, senior joint member secretary Tasnim Jara and joint convener Anik Roy, among others, participated in the marches and rallies at Pirganj and at Thakurgaon.
The NCP is scheduled to hold marches in all districts till July 30, demanding trial of the Awami League and its leaders for the massacres during the mass uprising, reforms in various sectors, and a new constitution aiming at building a discrimination-free Bangladesh.
The party leaders and activists will hold marches and rallies in Bogura, Joypurhat and Naogaon today.