Staff Reporter/

Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad Sylhet district and metropolitan branch jointly organized a morning-evening mass protest program on Saturday as part of the central program to demand the implementation of the 7-point election promise of the government party including ending communal violence forever.

President of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad Sylhet District Branch Advocate Pradeep Kumar Bhatracharya presided over, Metropolitan General Secretary Pradeep Kumar Dev and Advocate Ranjan Ghosh jointly moderated the welcome speech – District General Secretary Kripesh Chandra Pal.

The speakers in the mass hunger strike said, “The 7-point election promises, including the Minority Protection Act, must be implemented immediately. In the 2018 election manifesto, the promises made by the ruling party regarding the interests of religious and ethnic minorities have not been implemented for a long time. The guarantees of equality, human dignity and social justice that were given in the Great Declaration of Independence were illusory to the minorities of the country even earlier. Election promises of the ruling party for equal rights and equal institutions in all fields Enactment of Minority Protection Act and formation of Minority Commission Enactment of Elimination of Discrimination Act Enactment of Intestate Property Conservation Act Full implementation of Vested Property Return Act Implementation of Hill Peace Agreement and Hill Land Commission Separate land for plains residents Commission formation and other demands must be implemented on an urgent basis.”

The speakers also said, “Even though independent Bangladesh was born with the conviction of establishing a non-sectarian, democratic and secular state, sectarianism, bigotry, fundamentalism, society, state and politics have spread in the corner of society. In the prevailing political and social situation, communalism and bigotry are rampant and the religious, national and minority tribal groups of the country are suffering from instability. Constant communal attacks, torture, intimidation, threats, land grabbing and even murder and rape have left them disorientated and insecure. This has resulted in the tendency of the minority to leave the country. Many have already been forced to emigrate.”

The speakers said that the demands of the country’s minorities are very logical and constitutional. So fulfill the election promises by meeting the legitimate demands of the minorities without delay.

The speakers demanded exemplary trial of every incident of communal violence committed at different times.

They said, for the unity of the state, the communalization of education should be prevented. And Bangladesh Hindu Foundation, Bangladesh Buddhist Foundation and Bangladesh Christian Foundation should be formed in accordance with Islamic Foundation and 4 days official holiday for Autumn Durga Puja should be ensured.

Political leaders and eminent persons expressed solidarity in the mass hunger strike by former president of the district bar former PP advocate Emadullah Shahidullah Shaheen, convener of Sylhet metropolitan BNP Abdul Qayyum Jalali Panki, general secretary of Sylhet district BNP Advocate Emran Ahmed Chowdhury, district president of Works Party Sikandar Ali, metropolitan Awami League. Joint General Secretary ATMA Hasan Zebul and leaders of Manipuri Samaj Kalyan Sylhet district branch.

Sylhet City Corporation Ward No. 2 Councilor Vikram Kar Samrat, Central Organizing Secretary Malaya Purkayastha, Sylhet Metropolitan President Advocate Mrutyunjay Dhar Bhola, Vice President Advocate Prashant Kumar Pal, Puja Parishad Central Advisor Dr. Himadri Shekhar Roy, Central Organizing Secretary Rajat Kanti Bhatracharya, District President and Vice President of Oikya Parishad, Veer Muktijoddha Gopika Shyam Purkayastha Chayan, Subrata Dev, Advocate Vijay Krishna Biswas, President of Tribal Welfare Association Danesh Sangma, Veer Muktijoddha Panna Lal Roy, Leader of Buddhist Resources Prof. Varun Chowdhury, Reverend Phillips Samaddar, Pranab Debnath, Binta Devi, Pradeep De Mala, Manik Lal De, Sadaran Secretary of Pooja Udjabar Parishad Rajat Kanti Gopta, Dhirend Dhar, Vir Muktijodha Bidhan Chandra Das, Manmohan Debnath, Nandan Pal, Arun Kumar Biswas, Ranjit Dutt, Babul Dev, Raj Kumar Pal Rajru, GD Runu, Swapan Das, Ashish Dey, Nirman Sinha, Advocate Debbrat Chowdhury Liton, Liton Deb, Dr. Ranjit Roy, Jyotish Dutta, Dhiresh Debnath, Shyamal Dey, Advocate Arvind Das Gupta, Shyamal Chowdhury, Shailen Kar, Dhananjay Das Dhanu, Rabindra Das Bhakta, Lecturer Apoorva Kumar Pal, Mithil Pal Marjan, Shubhra Jyoti Sarkar, Shaon Das, Rocky Dev etc.

Sylhet educationists Prof. Bijit Kumar Dey and Viraj Madhav Chakraborty broke the leaders by forcing them to drink water during the evening mass hunger strike. Press release