DHAKA, 21 March 2004 — Former Bangladesh President Professor A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury yesterday went on a daylong token hunger strike along with his supporters in ‘Bikalpa Dhara’ (alternate stream of politics) in front of the main gate of the Supreme Court. The hunger strike was organized in protest against earlier foiling of his meeting as well as attacks on his businessman close aide’s industrial units.
Chowdhury, convener of the newly floated Bikalpa Dhara, shifted the venue of his hunger strike from the footpath in front of the National Press Club, as police put embargo on any sort of assembly there.
As Chowdhury and his supporters were proceeding toward the press club to join the hunger strike announced earlier, police halted them at the High Court crossing around 8.30 a.m. They then went to the Supreme Court premises.
While they were trying to come out of the Supreme Court premises, police again blocked their way at the main gate at about 11 a.m. Later, they started the hunger strike in front of the court gate.
Apparently annoyed, Chowdhury called the police intervention “undemocratic and illegal” and demanded resignation of the home minister and the state minister for home affairs.
He said police also obstructed him illegally inside the Supreme Court premises.
Earlier, dodging the police surveillance, Chowdhury sneaked out of his Baridhara residence Friday night and stayed around the Supreme Court area.
The former president said he had done it as he heard that he would not be allowed to come out of his house in the morning to join the hunger strike.
“All its activities proved that the government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has become nervous,” he said.
Referring to the stoppage of million dollar exports of Maj. Abdul Mannan, member-secretary of Bikalpa Dhara, Chowdhury said a government, which stops export and production, cannot be a people’s government. “It’s a terrorist government,” he said.
Replying to a newsman’s query, the Bikalpa Dhara convener said he would initiate talks with other political parties to launch an anti-government movement after the formation of his political party.
He claimed that 15 of his workers were arrested from Matsha Bhaban crossing when they were coming to join the hunger strike.
