Police block July Oikya march to EC

A group of activists under the banner of July Oikya was stopped by police yesterday while marching towards the Election Commission with several demands, including the cancellation of the candidacies of nominees from the Jatiya Party, the 14-party alliance and the National Democratic Front (NDF) ahead of the February 12 election.

July Oikya, an organisation that emerged after the July uprising, also demanded the removal from the administration of individuals who participated in the 2018 and 2024 elections.

The group further demanded ensuring security on election day, the recovery of illegal weapons, and the mandatory use of body-worn cameras on polling day.

The protesters carried out a programme titled “March to the Election Commission”, beginning their procession around 1:00pm, but were blocked by police in front of the Islamic Foundation in Agargaon.

Two factions of the Jatiya Party are contesting the 13th National Election. The party has released a list of 243 candidates led by one faction’s chairman GM Quader. The other faction is led by its secretary general Sheikh Shahidul Islam.

More than 25 JP candidates have regained their nominations from the EC over the past four days following appeal hearings.

Yesterday, more than 50 July Oikya members chanted slogans demanding that the JP be barred from participating in the upcoming election. They also held placards displaying their demands.

After 1:00pm, a July Oikya delegation entered the EC headquarters to submit a memorandum, while the remaining protesters staged a sit-in in front of the Islamic Foundation.

The organisers said similar marches and memorandum submissions would take place today at EC offices in divisional cities across the country.

Members of law enforcement agencies, including Ansar, police, Rab and the Coast Guard, were seen deployed in and around the EC headquarters following the July Oikya protest.

At the protest, Musaddiq Ali Ibne Mohammad, one of the key organisers of July Oikya and Ducsu’s literary and cultural affairs secretary, said no “Baksal-type forces” such as the JP would be allowed to contest the election.

He further said, “Everyone who is helping these 14-party and fascist NDF forces to contest the election, including by allowing them to run as independent candidates, must be brought to justice.”