Banshkhali power plant movement

Last updated

The Banshkhali power plant movement was a 2016 protest movement against a Bangladeshi-Chinese consortium's acquisition of agricultural lands, graveyards and homes to build a coal-based power plant in the Banshkhali Upazila of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Clashes between protesters and police officers killed four (according to police) or five people (according to protesters). [1] [2] According to the protesters, four more people went missing after the clash with police. [3]

Contents

Background

In February 2016, the Bangladesh Power Development Board signed an agreement to begin purchasing electricity from a consortium of two companies—the Bangladesh-based S. Alam Group of Industries and the China-based Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation III—in November 2019 (when the consortium's planned coal plant would be operational). [4] Experts warned about the environmental impact of a new coal plant, [5] and protests began on March 19, 2016 (shortly after the agreement was signed).

Protests turned violent in March 2016 when mercenaries hired by the company opened fire on a protest march opposing the power station. Several people were injured. The mercenaries were linked with the governing Bangladesh Awami League and the Power Development Board. [4] Amid the protests, the power board began acquiring land by force with the help of local Bangladesh Awami League leaders. [6]

On April 2, 2016, when the owners and engineers of the coal-based power plant attempted to visit the construction site, protesters swooped down on the officials' motorcade. Police cracked down on the protesters, arresting seven. Angry at the arrests, local residents called for a public gathering on April 4. [7]

Awami League leaders called a meeting at the same place on the same day. Local police invoked a Section 144 law restricting public gatherings in the area. [8] When local residents gathered on April 4 to protest, police opened fire and killed at least five people. [9] It was the largest loss of life in an anti-coal protest since the murder of six people in Jharkhand, India. [3]

Agreements

On October 31, 2013, the S. Alam Group of Industries was authorised by the Awami League government to build two coal-fired power plants in Chittagong's Banshkhali Upazila despite the lack of an environmental impact assessment. [10] In December, the group (one of Bangladesh's fastest-growing conglomerates) signed an agreement with China-based energy company Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation III for a coal-based power plant. [8] On February 16, 2016, the government signed an agreement to purchase power from the plant (which has a capacity of 1.22 MW) at ৳6.61 per kilowatt hour. [6]

Land acquisition

In 2013, the S. Alam Group of Industries (the plant's local owner) began acquiring land from local residents with the help of the governing Awami League. Residents complained that they were not paid appropriate compensation and were forbidden to contact the group's executives. [6]

Protection committee

A committee to protect habitation and graveyards was formed after the S. Alam Group said it had acquired about 600 acres (240 ha) of land in the area, primarily inhabited by subsistence salt farmers. Former union chairman and local Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Liakat Ali was nominated to lead a rally to protect agricultural and residential land, mosques, temples and graveyards from the S. Alam Group and compel a public hearing. [5]

Events

Frustration with the overlooking of demands and taking land from local residents without proper compensation culminated on March 11, 2016, when hundreds gathered to protest acts by the S. Alam Group of Industries and the government. During a March 19 rally, local Awami League members fired on the crowd. As the crowd dispersed, it became violent. [4]

Protests continued, and at a March 23 public hearing attended by about 3,000 people assurances were given that their demands would be considered. [7] Despite the public hearing, S. Alam Group of Industries officials continued their work; on April 2, several engineers and a company director visited the project area. Protesters attacked their motorcade and vandalized a CNG-powered auto rickshaw. Charges were filed against local residents, and seven were arrested within 24 hours. [8]

To protest the arrests, a rally was scheduled for April 4 by the "Committee to protect habitation and graveyards". To foil the rally, Awami League members scheduled a meeting for the same date and place and local police invoked a section-144 law banning public gatherings. [8]

On April 4, 2016, about 500 villagers defied the section 144 and began demonstrating against the actions of the police and the government. Police and 30 motorcycles carrying Awami League members arrived and ordered the protesters to leave. When the protesters refused, police and Awami League members began firing on the crowd. Four people died at the scene and two more under medical care. [8]

Aftermath

On April 4, Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Begum Khaleda Zia issued a statement criticizing the government for the killings and demanded that the government conduct a judicial investigation to identify the culprits and bring them to justice. [8] The Chhatra Oikkya Forum announced a general strike in Banshkhali to protest the deaths and demanded that the power-plant project be moved from the area. [5] During April 5 protest rallies in Chittagong, leaders of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the killers. According to CoalSwarm co-founder Ted Nace, it was the greatest loss of life since the 2011 Jharkhand anti-coal protest in India. [3] Two committees were formed by the district administration and police to investigate the event. Later supreme court ordered the S Alam to pay a compensation of Tk 5 lac each to the families of the men killed. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir</span> Student Organization in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir, is an Islamic student organization based in Bangladesh. It was established on 06 February 1977. The organisation is generally understood to be the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and several of the leaders of the student organisation have gone on to become notable leaders within Jamaat. The organisation has a significant presence in higher educational institutions of the country such as University of Dhaka, University of Chittagong, Rajshahi University, SUST, BUET, DUET, Medical College. Recently however, the student Organisation has been under pressure from the Bangladesh government led by the ruling party Awami League and its student wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Chhatra League</span> Students Political Organisation in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Chhatra League, formerly known as the East Pakistan Student League, often simply called the Chhatra League, is a students' political organisation in Bangladesh, founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 4 January 1948. BSL is the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilias Ali (Bangladeshi politician)</span> Bangladeshi politician

M Ilias Ali was a Bangladeshi politician and member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2001–2006) representing the Sylhet-2 constituency. He served as the organising secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He, along with his personal car driver, Ansar Ali, went missing on 18 April 2012. Later that day, local police recovered his abandoned car near his residence in Banani neighborhood and found Ansar's cellphone inside. They have not been seen since. On the tenth anniversary of his disappearance, Netra News, an independent news platform in Sweden, reported on 21 April 2022, that Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite Bangladeshi police unit, had carried out the disappearance. The platform cited leaked confidential documents and internal investigations documents from RAB to reach the conclusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Bangladeshi general election</span>

General elections were held in Bangladesh on 5 January 2014, in accordance with the constitutional requirement that elections must take place within the 90-day period before the expiration of the term of the Jatiya Sangshad on 24 January 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. Alam Group of Industries</span> Bangladeshi industrial conglomerate

S.Alam Group is a Bangladeshi industrial conglomerate. S. Alam Group also has investment in banking, leasing, insurance, stock brokering, and merchant banking. The industries under this group include food and allied products, steel, banking, consumer products, sugar, cement, power, energy, transportation, shipping, manufacturing, hospitality, financial institution, agro, trading, oil, and gas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh</span> Bangladeshi Islamic advocacy group

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh is a far-right Islamic advocacy group of madrassah teachers and students. In 2013, it submitted to the government of Bangladesh a 13-point charter, which included the demand for the enactment of a blasphemy law.

Chittagong massacre refers to a massacre of opposition activists in Chittagong on January 24 of 1988. The activists of Awami League who were rallying in the streets of Chittagong that day were attacked by the police during the regime of autocratic ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad. The then Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mirza Rakibul Huda ordered the police to open fire on the rally that left at least 24 people dead.

2016 (MMXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2016th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 16th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 7th year of the 2010s decade.

Ashab Uddin Ahmad was a Bangladeshi writer, educator and politician. He was a member of the East Bengal Legislative Assembly for the United Front, and a Communist activist. In 2005, he was posthumously awarded the Ekushey Padak, one of the highest civilian awards in Bangladesh, for his contributions to literature, which include 24 published books in Bengali and English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Mass Uprising in Bangladesh</span> Pro-democratic revolution in the South Asian country

The 1990 mass uprising was a democratic movement that took place on 4 December and led to the fall of General Hussain Muhammad Ershad in Bangladesh. The uprising was the result of a series of popular protests that started from 10 October 1990 to topple General Ershad who came to power in 1982 by imposing martial law and replaced a democratically elected President through a bloodless coup.

Shamsul Haque Chowdhury is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a present Member of Parliament from Chittagong-12. He is also the general secretary of Chittagong based football club Chittagong Abahani.

The non-cooperation movement of 1971 was a historical movement in then East Pakistan by the Awami League and the general public against the military government of Pakistan in March of that year. After the announcement of the suspension of the session of the National Assembly of Pakistan on 1 March, the spontaneous movement of the people started, but officially on the call of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the non-cooperation movement started on 2 March and continued until 25 March. The movement lasted for a total of 25 days. The main objective of this movement was to ensure the autonomy of East Pakistan from the central government of Pakistan. During this period, the control of the central government of West Pakistan over the civilian administration of East Pakistan was almost non-existent. At one stage of the movement, the whole of East Pakistan, except the cantonments, was practically under the command of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chittagong-15</span> Constituency of Bangladeshs Jatiya Sangsad

Chittagong-15 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad of Bangladesh since 2014 by Abu Reza Muhammad Nezamuddin of the Awami League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Bangladesh road-safety protests</span> NISA Movement

A series of public protests in Bangladesh advocating improved road safety were held from 29 July to 8 August 2018. They were sparked by the deaths of two high-school students in Dhaka struck by a bus operated by an unlicensed driver who was racing to collect passengers. The incident impelled students to demand safer roads and stricter traffic laws, and the demonstrations rapidly spread throughout Bangladesh.

Mustafizur Rahaman Chowdhury is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and the incumbent Member of Parliament from Chittagong-16.

Mohammad Manjur Alam aka M. Manjur Alam is a Bangladeshi politician and businessman. He is the former Mayor of Chittagong and managing director of Mostafa-Hakim Group.

A series of rallies, demonstrations, and blockades opposing the visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were held in Bangladesh from 19 to 29 March, on the celebration of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan. Accusing Narendra Modi of committing crimes against humanity during the 2002 Gujarat riots, the protesters agitated against what they alleged were India's anti-Muslim policies and India's interference in Bangladeshi politics. Protesters demanded the cancellation of the Bangladesh government's invitation to the Indian Prime Minister. The otherwise peaceful protests turned violent when the protesters were attacked by the supporters of the ruling Awami League party along with a crackdown by the law-enforcement agencies, causing the deaths of several protesters throughout the last week of March 2021 in Bangladesh. Initially launched by progressive student organizations including the Bangladesh Students Union, Bangladesh Sadharon Chhatra Odhikar Songrokkhon Parishad, and the Socialist Students' Front, the demonstrations were later joined by the Islamic group Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.

Kansat Palli Bidyut protests were a series of protest in Kansat against the Kansat Palli Bidyut Samity which are subsidiaries of Rural Electrification Board that resulted in 13 deaths. The protests ranged from January to April 2006.

Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Mohila Dal is the women's wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Afroza Abbas is the President of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Mohila Dal and general secretary of Sultana Ahemed

Mahmudul Haque is a Justice of the High Court Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court.

References

  1. ↑ "Bangladesh power plant protest: Four dead and three held". BBC. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  2. ↑ বাঁশখালীতে শোকের মাতম. Manab Zamin (in Bengali). 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bangladesh coal plant protests continue after demonstrators killed". The Guardian. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
  4. 1 2 3 বাঁশখালীতে কয়লা বিদ্যুৎ প্রকল্পবিরোধী মিছিলে গুলি. Jugantor (in Bengali). 19 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  5. 1 2 3 "Banshkhali locals vow to protect land". Dhaka Tribune. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  6. 1 2 3 "3,000 villagers prosecuted for Banshkhali killing". New Age. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  7. 1 2 বাঁশখালীতে পুলিশের গুলি : নিহত ৫. Jugantor (in Bengali). 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "4 killed in clash over setting up power plant". The Daily Star. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  9. ↑ "Banshkhali firing: Relatives file 2 cases, cops sue 3,000". The Daily Star. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  10. ↑ অভিজ্ঞতা ছাড়াই বড় বিদ্যুৎ কেন্দ্র নির্মাণের কাজ পেল এস আলম গ্রুপ. Jugantor (in Bengali). 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  11. ↑ "HC asks S Alam Group to pay Tk 500,000 each to families of Banshkhali shooting victims".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.