Dhaka (AsiaNews) - "I am shocked
by the violence caused by this hartal. We
could be attacked at any time. And
the continuous postponement of the exams
is a huge mental pressure", Hridoy Rozario, a 16 year old Catholic
tells AsiaNews. On 6 February he sat his final exams of
the 10th grade (Secondary School Certificate, SSC), with more than 1.4 million
children. Because of the violence
linked to the nationwide strike
(hartal) imposed more than a month
ago by the opposition parties, the tests have been postponed several times for security reasons.
The objective of the coalition - led by the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP, nationalist)
and the Jamaat-e-Islam (Islamic fundamentalist) - is to oust the Awami
League government and go to new elections.
Beyond the individual episodes of violence that continue to wreak havoc (particularly incendiary bombs), the daily life of the population is being held in check. Farmers and
local producers are suffering damage due to the delay in the transit of goods and products; students cannot go to school, or college,
on a regular basis.
"Our children are innocent - stress Hridoy's parents
- why do they have to be stymied by the squabbles of our political leaders? The parties must
resolve this situation." Last month
about 76 people died from the strike violence and many victims were children, young
people and civilians.
To ensure the smooth conduct of examinations, the government has
deployed 326 platoons of Bangladesh Border Guard
(Bdb), about 10 thousand units, throughout the country.
In the midst of exams Ssc Khaleda Zia,
chairman of BNP, has
issued a statement declaring
that his party will continue agitation until "
its logical conclusion," and that it is ready to face
"any consequence."