A Bangladeshi Christian community in Barisal Jan. 10 staged a hunger strike to protest against a government decision to construct a court building by filling a historical pond owned by a church.
The protesters also handed a memorandum to the local government calling for construction to be stopped on the 10-story building.
A multi-denominational group of Christians formed a human chain in front of government offices and marched through the city before handing the memorandum to government officials.
The pond has belonged to St. Peter’s Church since 1849. It was originally used for baptisms. It later years it was used as a reserve pond for drinking water.
A previous protest against filling the pond last April 12 turned violent, with 13 people injured in clashes
