Thousands have blocked the busy Khamarbari road in protest leaving the traffic completely paralyzed at the busiest point of the capital.
The protest that began at noon on Sunday was to support the demand of the Bangladesh Civil Service (Agriculture) Association for the removal of Saiful Alam, the Director General (DG) of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), and other officials with alleged political affiliations.
The situation heated up just after they left the site under pressure from police and army personnel, officials of BCS (Agriculture) Association, who were part of the protest. Nevertheless, some students identifying themselves as anti-fascists were still on the street blocking traffic at Khamarbari Mor.
They voiced out against what they claim was a controversial transfer of the senior DAE official Dr. Mahbubur Rashid, who was recently moved to a less significant post.
Indeed, it followed the order of transfer issued by the Ministry of Agriculture last Thursday, under which as deputy director of the Administrative and Finance Wing of the DAE, Dr. Rashid has been moved to a deputy director role at Baradi Horticulture Centre, Meherpur. As per the order, Md Muradul Hasan has been appointed to that position.
This transfer, they claimed, along with most administrative decisions, points to a political influence of most of the import, especially the ruling Awami League's, within the DAE. This has been one of the major sources of discontent within the agriculture community and has led to protests.
In an attempted restoration to the normal order, deployment of both army and police has been made to control the situation. At around 12:15 pm, attempts were made by the security forces to counteract the protestors who were sitting in, but by then effective blockage of the road had been set by protestors. Law enforcement continues to work with agricultural officers to clear the obstruction and restore normalcy.
This protest itself mirrors the affinity of the divergent tension built in the agricultural sector and the greater problem of political meddling in public administration. That students were willing to stay on at the protest venue signifies the very strength of opposition to these bureaucratic changes.
[ Source Credit: Dhaka Tribune ]
