Dhaka TribuneThe date of Dhaka’s two city corporations' polls coincides with Saraswati PujaAn appeal petition has been filed with the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order that rejected a petition filed seeking deferment of Dhaka city polls. Supreme Court lawyer Ashoke Kumar Ghosh, who had filed the previous petition, filed the appeal around 12pm on Thursday. It sparked protests several hours later at Shahbagh, leaving thousands of citizens trapped in massive gridlocks on the connecting roads. Matters became more complicated with the school holiday calendar sanctioned by the government marking January 29 for the Hindu religious festival. Many Hindu religious groups, including the Puja Udjapon Parishad and Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC), had urged the Election Commission to move the election day to facilitate the community in celebrating the festival.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 16, 2020 07:18 UTC