Three Parties Stage Symbolic Walkout to Protest Attack on Students and Guardians

Dhaka, July 23, 2025: Three political parties—Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASD), and Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JASAD)—staged a 10-minute symbolic walkout from a dialogue session with the National Consensus Commission at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka. The walkout was in protest against the alleged attack by law enforcement on students, teachers, and guardians during a demonstration related to the tragic crash of a fighter jet at Milestone School and College.

The second phase of the National Consensus Commission’s dialogue with political parties, marking its 18th day, began shortly after 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The session was moderated by Monir Haider, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the National Consensus Commission, who invited the commission’s co-chair, Professor Ali Riaz, to speak.

During the session, CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince took the floor, condemning the attack on protesters at Milestone School and College. He accused law enforcement of assaulting teachers, students, and guardians, drawing parallels to tactics used during past authoritarian regimes. “We have seen the shadow of autocratic rulers in such incidents,” Prince said, adding that the government should be aware of potential conspiracies by remnants of autocratic forces. He criticized an adviser’s remarks attributing the incident to autocratic elements, likening it to statements made by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during crises. Prince emphasized the necessity of protesting the incident, stating, “It’s impossible to stay here without condemning this. Therefore, we do not wish to remain for 10 minutes.” His stance was supported by JASAD’s Mushtaq Hossain and BASD General Secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz, after which leaders of the three parties walked out of the session. Responding to the walkout, Professor Ali Riaz acknowledged the parties’ right to protest symbolically, welcoming their exercise of political rights. “Their concerns have been presented to the nation, and the government will take them into consideration,” he said, noting that the commission had recorded their statements. The leaders rejoined the dialogue at around 11:25 a.m., as acknowledged by Professor Riaz. The meeting saw participation from 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, National Conference Party (NCP), Islami Andolan, CPB, and Gono Songhoti Andolon. Other commission members present included Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emdadul Haque, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, and Dr. Ayub Miah. ---