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A group claiming to be the “real July warriors” have clashed with demonstrators at Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection, effectively bringing an end to a two-day sit-in demanding formal recognition of the July Charter and Declaration.
Police also intervened and baton-charged protesters during the scuffle on Friday evening, prompting the demonstrators to vacate the intersection. Normal traffic resumed in the area later on.
Shahbagh Police Station chief (OC) Khalid Mansur told bdnews24.com: “Those claiming to be the actual July victims, some of whom are still receiving treatment in hospitals, came and dispersed the protesters. The roads are now open and the situation is fully under control.”
The sit-in began on Thursday under the banner of “Families of July Martyrs and July Warriors”, with the intersection blocked off by barricades, halting traffic in the surrounding areas.
Demonstrators shouted slogans in support of the July Charter and offered Jumma prayers in the rain under plastic tarps laid on the street.
Tensions flared around 6:30pm when a group of youths arrived, identifying themselves as the “true July warriors”.
They demanded the road be cleared and shouted “fraud, fraud” at the demonstrators, forcibly removing loudspeakers and tearing down tarps.
Both groups accused each other of being imposters. Verbal arguments escalated as they demanded to see each other’s “July warrior” credentials.
Several scuffles broke out before police stepped in, baton-charging the demonstrators and dismantling the makeshift stage.
One of the youths who helped disperse the sit-in told bdnews24.com, “They were creating a mob here as part of a plan by Sheikh Hasina. We are the real July warriors, members of the July Memorial Foundation.”
He added: “Why should such a key junction be blocked and the public suffer? We came and asked them to move. When they refused, we cleared them with police assistance.”
Several of the demonstrators alleged they were peacefully protesting for two days and were attacked by outsiders. They accused the group of being “pro-Awami League operatives”.
Asked to clarify the identity of the sit-in organisers or whether they were “fake”, OC Mansur said: “I cannot confirm that. Only the groups involved can speak to their own identities.”
Md Yasin, one of the ousted demonstrators, said: “Police beat my back with batons. A group from PG Hospital attacked us and destroyed our stage. Some of them may have been injured, but most were outsiders who don’t want this movement to succeed.”
Another protester, Abdur Rahman, said: “We had already cleared the footpath. After sunset, we left the road and continued our sit-in peacefully. But they launched an unprovoked attack. One of our injured sisters had her arm broken in the assault.”
Masud Rana Saurav, a lead organiser of the Shahbagh protest, said: “We were attacked jointly by police and a group claiming to be wounded July warriors. Two of our members are hospitalised and many others injured. We’re now gathering at Raju Sculpture and will announce our next steps soon.”
The confrontation comes as tensions rise over the July Charter during the final stretch of the ongoing political reform dialogue involving 30 parties.
While Thursday’s talks concluded with consensus on 19 core reform principles, questions remain about how many parties will endorse the July Charter.