Dhaka – Several people were injured after police used batons to disperse a protest in Dhaka on Thursday. The demonstration, organized by left-leaning parties, was against port terminal lease agreements signed with foreign companies, which the protesters label as “anti-state.”
The rally, held in front of the National Press Club at noon, demanded the cancellation of last month’s agreements for the Laldia and Pangaon terminals.
The Chattogram Port Authority signed a 30-year deal with Danish APM Terminals for the development and operation of Laldia terminal in the upper estuary of the Karnaphuli river.
It also signed a 22-year concession agreement with Switzerland-based logistics firm Medlog SA to manage and operate the Pangaon terminal on the Buriganga in Keraniganj.
The interim administration, headed by Muhammad Yunus, has defended the deals, saying they will bring dynamism to port operations.
Protesters, however, accused the government of hastily signing a clandestine agreement “keeping the nation in the dark,” arguing it serves foreign interests over national ones.
After the rally, several hundred demonstrators attempted to march towards Jamuna, the Chief Adviser’s official residence on Hare Road. Police stopped them at the Kakrail intersection, leading to confrontations. Officers eventually charged with batons to disperse the crowd, leaving several protesters wounded.
“Police carried out attacks on the peaceful protesters without any provocation,” said Bazlur Rashid Firoz, general secretary of the Bangladesh Socialist Party (BaSoD). He listed several injured, including Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Abdullah Kafi.
Police officer Masud Alam told reporters that the marchers had violated a ban on rallies near the Chief Adviser’s residence. “They tried to proceed defying police barricades, resulting in the clashes,” he said.
Failing to proceed, the protesters blocked the Kakrail intersection for over an hour, causing severe traffic snarls in the busy downtown area on a workday.
The leftist alliance—comprising the Left Democratic Alliance, the Anti-Fascist Left Front, Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and the National Gono Front — has announced a fresh demonstration for Friday afternoon in front of the National Press Club to protest the police action
