Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday faced protests by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists at a party programme in Chittagong city. While he was coming out after attending the programme, local BCL leaders and activists besieged his vehicle and chanted slogan demanding justice over the murder of BCL leader Sudipta Biswas, who succumbed after being beaten by assailants on Friday morning. Because of the protest, Quader remained stuck at the venue for 15 minutes.

Earlier, while addressing the programme organised marking the death anniversary of AL leader Ataur Rahman Khan Kaisar at the Muslim Institute of the city, Quader faced obstruction by the leaders and activists of the city unit BCL. When Quader was about to start his speech, the BCL activists started chanting slogans demanding justice over the murder of Sudipta. At that time Quader urged the aggrieved BCL men to calm down.

"I have come here to join the meeting arranged in memory of our respected leader Ataur Rahman Khan Kaisar. Do not demean the gravity of the programme by chanting slogans here,” he said.

He also asked the BCL men to meet with him if they have any demand. At one stage, Quader warned the BCL men that he would not deliver speech if they would not stop chanting slogans, said eyewitnesses. Then the BCL men stopped the slogans. After the meeting at around 5:30pm, when Quader got into his vehicle, hundreds of BCL men encircled the vehicle with their demands. City unit BCL president Ahmed Imu and secretary Nurul Azim Rony had a discussion with Quader inside the vehicle then. Later the AL general secretary left the spot.