Police on Thursday barricaded an opposition 11-party alliance march toward the Secretariat as protesters demonstrated against the fuel oil and gas crisis, alleged "ghost" electricity bills, and rising prices.
After police stopped the procession near Zero Point, alliance leaders and supporters staged a sit-in in front of the Secretariat despite heavy rain.
Following the demonstration, authorities closed all entrances to the Secretariat, causing inconvenience to the public. The protest, coupled with the heavy rainfall, triggered severe traffic congestion on roads surrounding the Secretariat, causing widespread disruption.
Earlier, the alliance held a sit-in at Muktangon in the capital, where Opposition Leader and Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Dr. Shafiqur Rahman and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam addressed supporters.
Shafiqur urged the government not to increase gas prices any further.
"We understand that you are planning to raise gas prices. Creating a crisis and then raising prices is the next step. We will not allow that to happen," he said.
Announcing the march toward the Secretariat, he said: "Now we will go from this sit-in to the Secretariat so that our demands reach the Secretariat and the relevant ministers. This Secretariat does not belong to any political party. Every brick, grain of sand, stone, rod, and bag of cement used to build it belongs to the people of this country. Those who sit there, whether ministers or MPs, must listen to and respect the will of the people."
Nahid Islam, Convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Opposition Chief Whip, also warned the government against raising gas prices.
"Over the past five months, you have repeatedly increased the prices of LPG cylinders and electricity. Now you are planning to increase gas prices. This plan must be stopped immediately," he said.
Nahid also accused the ruling party's student organization of carrying out violence on university campuses.
"We want to say that the fighters of the July uprising are still present on these campuses. Under no circumstances should any ruling student organization be allowed to dominate the campuses. Your blood is being shed, and the people of Bangladesh are witnessing it. The people stand with you," he added.
Among those present at the sit-in were Liberal Democratic Party President retired Colonel Oli Ahmad, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General and former MP Mia Golam Parwar, and other senior leaders of the 11-party alliance.
Shafiqur also announced a series of long marches to four divisional cities, followed by a grand rally in Dhaka, demanding the implementation of the referendum verdict and the establishment of a discrimination-free Bangladesh through the implementation of the July Charter.
He said the campaign would begin on September 5 with a long march from Dhaka to Chattogram. It will be followed by marches from Dhaka to Rangpur on September 19, Dhaka to Khulna on October 10, and Dhaka to Sylhet on October 24. A grand rally in Dhaka is scheduled for November 14.
While the marches to Chattogram, Rangpur and Khulna will be held by bus, the Sylhet programme will be conducted by train.
The Jamaat chief urged the government not to obstruct the long marches in what he described as a "fascist manner." He warned that if the programmes were blocked, they would proceed with "twice the strength."