In Bangladesh, security was heightened across Dhaka’s diplomatic zone on Wednesday after police blocked a march by a group calling itself July Oikya, which had announced plans to proceed to the Indian High Commission in Gulshan.
Thousands of protesters gathered near Rampura Bridge around 3:15 pm and began marching towards the mission, raising slogans and pressing demands that included the return of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and other Awami League leaders who fled to India following last year’s July uprising.
As the procession reached Uttar Badda around 4:00 pm, police erected barricades and stopped the march. Protesters briefly broke through the first blockade but were halted again by heavier security and later staged a sit-in on the road, chanting slogans and addressing the crowd through loudspeakers. Questions are being raised about the alertness of the country’s security and intelligence system.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police said personnel from the Gulshan Division and the Diplomatic Security Division were deployed at key points, including Rampura Bridge and Gulshan-1, to prevent any untoward incident. Authorities said the measures were taken to ensure public order and protect diplomatic missions.
Meanwhile, India summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to New Delhi, Riaz Hamidullah, expressing strong concern over the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh and specific threats surrounding the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
