BJP’s march to Dhaka stopped in Tripura

Over 800 BJP workers were stopped in their bid to enter Bangladesh on Monday to protest atrocities on minorities and join protesters demanding the death penalty for those convicted of war crimes in that neighbouring country, police officials here said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadres tried to enter Bangladesh through the Akhaurah checkpost near here. They were led by Tripura state party president Sudhindra Dasgupta.

‘A huge contingent of police led by senior officials stopped the march 500 metres from the Akhaurah checkpost. There was no major trouble,’ a police official said.

Additional troopers of the Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed at the Akhaurah border to foil further attempts by BJP cadres to enter Bangladesh.

‘The march to Dhaka was organized to protest atrocities on religious minorities and their installations in Bangladesh. The rally was also to express solidarity with protesters of Ganajagaran Mancha,’ Dasgupta told reporters.  Ganajagaran Mancha, a platform of intellectuals and activists, has been organizing protests across Bangladesh since 5 February to press demand for the death penalty for all war criminals.