02:05Dozens of people were reportedly prevented from reaching Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence in Dhaka to pay respect following the Bangladeshi interim government cancelling National Mourning Day as a national holiday, Thursday.
According to media outlets, students and Bangladesh Nationalist Party members were guarding the area and detaining visitors to check their phones since early morning.
Footage shows dozens of people with Bangladeshi flags sitting in a circle and chanting on the street. Barricade fences and razor wire set by police on the road adjacent to the Dhanmondi-32 residence can also be seen.
"We, the students, have gathered here so that the terrorists of Awami League cannot carry out any sabotage and terrorist activities. We have taken a stand so that they cannot carry out any massacres. We are here all day today. I will stay so that no criminal can come and commit terrorist activities here," Lokman Hossain stated.
He claimed that 'some miscreants' tried to enter Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence to 'destroy the freedom gained by the student uprising' on that day.
On Tuesday, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government announced that National Mourning Day would cease to be observed as a national holiday. The holiday used to be celebrated annually on August 15 to commemorate the assassination of Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Former Prime Minister and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughter, Sheikh Hasina, urged supporters to make a public show of strength by observing the National Day of Mourning with 'due respect and solemnity' in her first statement after fleeing to India issued through her son Sajeeb Wazed’s account on X [formerly Twitter] on August 13.
"Please offer floral tributes and prayers at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and pray for the peace of the departed souls," Hasina's statement read.
She resigned following weeks of anti-government protests, which were sparked by student demonstrations opposing the quota system for government jobs. That system reserved a third of public sector positions for relatives of those who participated in the 1971 independence war, while many demanded a shift to a merit-based approach.
Violent clashes erupted as demonstrators stormed Hasina's official residence and other government buildings. Reports suggest over 300 people were killed in the recent violence.
Following Hasina's decision to quit, President Mohammed Shahabuddin engaged in discussions with political parties, the military, and protesters before appointing Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as interim leader of the government.
Activists block access to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence in Dhaka as National Mourning Day cancelled
Dozens of people were reportedly prevented from reaching Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence in Dhaka to pay respect following the Bangladeshi interim government cancelling National Mourning Day as a national holiday, Thursday.
According to media outlets, students and Bangladesh Nationalist Party members were guarding the area and detaining visitors to check their phones since early morning.
Footage shows dozens of people with Bangladeshi flags sitting in a circle and chanting on the street. Barricade fences and razor wire set by police on the road adjacent to the Dhanmondi-32 residence can also be seen.
"We, the students, have gathered here so that the terrorists of Awami League cannot carry out any sabotage and terrorist activities. We have taken a stand so that they cannot carry out any massacres. We are here all day today. I will stay so that no criminal can come and commit terrorist activities here," Lokman Hossain stated.
He claimed that 'some miscreants' tried to enter Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence to 'destroy the freedom gained by the student uprising' on that day.
On Tuesday, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government announced that National Mourning Day would cease to be observed as a national holiday. The holiday used to be celebrated annually on August 15 to commemorate the assassination of Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Former Prime Minister and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughter, Sheikh Hasina, urged supporters to make a public show of strength by observing the National Day of Mourning with 'due respect and solemnity' in her first statement after fleeing to India issued through her son Sajeeb Wazed’s account on X [formerly Twitter] on August 13.
"Please offer floral tributes and prayers at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and pray for the peace of the departed souls," Hasina's statement read.
She resigned following weeks of anti-government protests, which were sparked by student demonstrations opposing the quota system for government jobs. That system reserved a third of public sector positions for relatives of those who participated in the 1971 independence war, while many demanded a shift to a merit-based approach.
Violent clashes erupted as demonstrators stormed Hasina's official residence and other government buildings. Reports suggest over 300 people were killed in the recent violence.
Following Hasina's decision to quit, President Mohammed Shahabuddin engaged in discussions with political parties, the military, and protesters before appointing Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as interim leader of the government.
Dozens of people were reportedly prevented from reaching Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence in Dhaka to pay respect following the Bangladeshi interim government cancelling National Mourning Day as a national holiday, Thursday.
According to media outlets, students and Bangladesh Nationalist Party members were guarding the area and detaining visitors to check their phones since early morning.
Footage shows dozens of people with Bangladeshi flags sitting in a circle and chanting on the street. Barricade fences and razor wire set by police on the road adjacent to the Dhanmondi-32 residence can also be seen.
"We, the students, have gathered here so that the terrorists of Awami League cannot carry out any sabotage and terrorist activities. We have taken a stand so that they cannot carry out any massacres. We are here all day today. I will stay so that no criminal can come and commit terrorist activities here," Lokman Hossain stated.
He claimed that 'some miscreants' tried to enter Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence to 'destroy the freedom gained by the student uprising' on that day.
On Tuesday, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government announced that National Mourning Day would cease to be observed as a national holiday. The holiday used to be celebrated annually on August 15 to commemorate the assassination of Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Former Prime Minister and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughter, Sheikh Hasina, urged supporters to make a public show of strength by observing the National Day of Mourning with 'due respect and solemnity' in her first statement after fleeing to India issued through her son Sajeeb Wazed’s account on X [formerly Twitter] on August 13.
"Please offer floral tributes and prayers at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and pray for the peace of the departed souls," Hasina's statement read.
She resigned following weeks of anti-government protests, which were sparked by student demonstrations opposing the quota system for government jobs. That system reserved a third of public sector positions for relatives of those who participated in the 1971 independence war, while many demanded a shift to a merit-based approach.
Violent clashes erupted as demonstrators stormed Hasina's official residence and other government buildings. Reports suggest over 300 people were killed in the recent violence.
Following Hasina's decision to quit, President Mohammed Shahabuddin engaged in discussions with political parties, the military, and protesters before appointing Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as interim leader of the government.