Alia Madrasa students protest court set-up on field

Students of Dhaka's Alia Madrasa and local residents have staged protests by blocking roads in the Bakshibazar area, objecting to the use of the madrasa's field as a temporary court.

Witnesses and police said the protest began last night and continued into this morning, with demonstrators burning tyres and obstructing traffic.

A special temporary court had been set up on the madrasa grounds to conduct trials related to the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny.

The students voiced strong opposition to this arrangement, which led to the blockade.

The demonstration disrupted vehicular movement on the road in front of the court and its surrounding areas, leading to severe congestion.

The protesters blocked access to the streets near the Dhaka Education Board and Bakshibazar intersection with bamboo barricades, halting traffic flow from Bakshibazar to Chawkbazar.

Shafiullah, a student participating in the protest, said, "The city corporation had occupied this field for a long time. After the July revolution, this field must remain ours. If our demands are not met, we will escalate our movement."

Speaking about the situation, Rezaul Hossain, officer-in-charge of Chawkbazar Police Station, said, "Students and locals are preventing police from entering the madrasa field...we are on the ground, working to calm the situation."

The temporary court was set up to address cases stemming from the 2009 BDR mutiny, a tragic event that claimed the lives of 74 people, including 57 military officers, at the Pilkhana headquarters of the paramilitary force. The mutiny, which shook the nation and garnered international attention, remains a critical chapter in Bangladesh's history.

As of now, negotiations to resolve the stand-off are going on.