The Bangladesh Azad Party brought out a torch procession towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka yesterday evening in protest against what it described as illegal push-ins and "Indian hegemony".

The procession was stopped by police after it reached Gulshan-1 Circle, where the demonstrators later staged a sit-in protest.

Gulshan Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Mokhlesur Rahman confirmed the incident to The Daily Star.

He said police intercepted the procession, which had marched from the Mohakhali area, at around 7:30pm near Navana Tower at Gulshan-1 Circle.
The protesters then sat on the road, chanted anti-India slogans, and burned an effigy of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah. They dispersed around 8:45pm.

Among those present at the protest rally were Bangladesh Azad Party President Lt Col (retd) Hasinur Rahman, Barrister ASM Shahriar Kabir, and Rashed Prodhan, spokesperson for the Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa), along with leaders and activists from several other organisations.

Addressing the gathering, Rashed Prodhan said, "Anyone who questions my country's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity will face a renewed struggle."

The Bangladesh Azad Party was launched on April 20 with the stated goal of establishing "a state based on justice and fairness" and building "a Bangladesh free from Indian hegemony”.