0n March 31, 2026, a protest rally was held in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in the capital, opposing the ongoing military operation “Operation Kagar” in India.
At the beginning, a condolence resolution was read in memory of those martyred in Operation Kagar, as well as those killed in unjust wars across the world, including in Palestine and Iran. A one-minute silence was observed. The main rally then began with the performance of international songs by the “Gonoshilpir Gaaner Dol”.
The rally was presided over by Maoist poet and Convener of the Committee Against the Massacre of Maoists and Adivasis in India (Bangladesh), Hasan Fakiri, and moderated by Arunav Ashraf, a member of the Revolutionary Student-Youth Movement. Speakers included Raghu Abhijit Roy, organizer of Samaj Onushilon Kendra; Mofizur Rahman Laltu, General Secretary of Biborton Cultural Center; Professor Dr. Harun-or-Rashid, General Secretary of Maulana Bhashani Parishad; Badal Shah Alam, editor of Khonon newspaper; Prokash Dutta, Joint General Secretary of the National Democratic Front; Kanan Chakraborty, member of the National Committee of New Democratic People's Forum; Masud Khan, President of the Jatiyo Gonotantrik Gonomancha; Tawfika Priya, President of the Revolutionary Student-Youth Movement; Ferdaus Rahman Rod, Joint Convener (Dhaka Region) of Chhatra Gonomancha; and Nayem Uddin, Vice President of the Revolutionary Student-Youth Movement, among others.
The speakers stated that since 2024, the Hindutva fascist Modi government of India has launched a full-scale war under the name “Operation Kagar” aimed at eradicating the Maoist movement. In this unjust war, thousands of peasant and working-class Adivasis have been imprisoned, and countless people have been displaced from their homes and turned into refugees. This war of the ruling exploiting classes against their own oppressed people has not only exposed the Indian state but also unmasked imperialist forces worldwide, including the United Nations, the United States, China, Russia, and the European Union. Imperialism, they said, is pursuing policies and waging unjust wars globally to crush the liberation struggles of oppressed peoples.
The speakers further said that revolutionary war is a protracted struggle. It involves phases of advance and retreat, attack and withdrawal, development and setback, establishment of bases and their destruction by enemy forces—these are all parts of a prolonged people’s war. The historic Long March led by Comrade Mao Zedong teaches this lesson. Being cornered or suffering setbacks in one or several battles does not mean losing the entire war. Those who expect continuous victories are not true revolutionaries. In the context of temporary setbacks and military difficulties in the Kagar war, those who are confused or frightened by enemy propaganda, who abandon the line of people’s war and advocate surrender, and who think the Maoist movement will disappear are not revolutionaries but opportunists.
They emphasized that the revolutionary movement led by the Maoists is not only for the liberation of oppressed workers and peasants in India but also aims at the emancipation of oppressed people worldwide. That is why reactionary forces and corporate classes globally have united to carry out mass killings of Maoists and Adivasis under Operation Kagar. Therefore, it is the duty of the oppressed people of Bangladesh to stand in solidarity with the oppressed masses worldwide against this massacre. The speakers called for raising voices in protest and building resistance to immediately stop the mass killings of Maoists and Adivasis in India in the name of Operation Kagar.
At the end of the speeches, a cultural protest performance was held by “Gonoshilpir Gaaner Dol.” Chanting slogans against fascist figures such as Trump, Modi, and Netanyahu, and in support of the people’s war in India, the rally concluded at 7:00 PM.
