by Staff CorrespondentDhaka – The march against ‘Indian dominance’ called by the wings of Bangladesh’s largest opposition party has reached Akhaura, a town in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria bordering the Indian state of Tripura, to protest against last week’s attack on a Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala, and Indian dominance.
Several thousand activists of the youth, student and voluntary wings of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former prime minister Khaleda Zia began the march from Dhaka on Wednesday towards the bordering town asking Indian government not to meddle into Bangladesh’s internal affairs.
Political tension between Bangladesh and India escalated in the recent time after a Hindu priest was arrested in Dhaka over sedition charge and a group of Hindus carried out an attack on Bangladesh consulate in Agartala, the capital of Tripura.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Senior Joint Secretary General of the BNP, opened the march in front of party headquarters in Dhaka’s Naya Paltan in the morning as the activists of the front organisations of the party gathered.
The organisers say that the protest came against the attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, desecration of the national flag in Kolkata, and an alleged conspiracy to incite communal unrest in Bangladesh.
Brahmanbaria District Jubo Dal President Shamim Mollah said that 30,000 to 40,000 people were expected to join the concluding rally in Akhaura.
“We want to send a message to India of friendship, not dominance,” said a leader of the party.
Police and troops from paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed in the border town to prevent any untoward incident centering the march.
More than 200 policemen were deployed around 350 yards of India-Bangladesh border in the eastern town, said police officer Mohammad Jabedur Rahman. He said his team was asked to maintain order during the march.
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