Hill Voice, 14 September 2023: From Rangpur and Mymensigh: Tomorrow, on 15 September 2023, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad will observe dawn to dusk mass-hunger strike and sit-in program (12hours) in 12 districts of Rangpur and Mymensigh divisions including two city Metropolitans as a part of consecutive movement demanding fulfilment of minority interest friendly pledges of the government made in the election manifesto in 2018.
According to a press release signed by Mihir Ranjan Hawlader, office secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, tomorrow 15 September 2023, Friday, the said mass hunger strike and sit-in event will be observed from 6 am to 6 pm (12 hours), coordinating the alliance of like-minded religious-ethnic minorities in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Panchyaghar, Kurigram, Thakurgaon and Gaibandha district of Rangpur Division and Rangpur Metropolitans, and Mymensingh, Netrokona, Jamalpur and Sherpur district of Mymensingh division, as a part of ongoing mass hunger strike and sit-in program in upazila, district including metropolitans of all divisions of the country, for realising minority interest friendly promises of the government party promised in the election manifesto in national parliamentary election of 2018.
The local liberal, social and cultural prominent personalities will deliver their solidarity speech there. In addition, it is learnt that distinguished persons of various organization of religious and ethnic minority people will also speak there.
It should be noted that the ruling Awami League government accepted a several minority interest friendly promises in their election manifesto just before the last national parliamentary election in 2018, agreeing the demands of religious and ethnic minority peoples including Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikyo Parishad.
The demands are- Enactment of Minority Protection Act, formation of National Commission on Minority Affairs, enactment of Debottor Property Act, enactment of Discrimination Elimination Act, proper execution of Transfer of Vested Property Act, Proper implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace Accord and Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Commission and formation of a separate Land Commission for the indigenous peoples in plain. However, despite another national parliamentary election is near at hand, the Awami League government has not yet come forward to implement its given promises.
For these reasons, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Cristian Oikyo Parishad has been waging a consecutive movement from the last several years demanding the fulfilment of the pledges made by the government. At this stage of the movement, dawn to dusk mass hunger-strike and sit-in event are being observed in different districts and metropolitans of different divisions of the country in various days of this month of September.
In central level, a 48-hour long mass hunger-strike will be observed at central Shahid Minar in Dhaka on 22-23 September 2023. As a part of the ongoing movement, a press release signed by the office secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Cristian Oikyo Parisad, Mihir Ranjan Hawlader said that the next course of movement will be declared from a grand mass rally to be held at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan on 6 October 2023.
