Students Against Discrimination declares one-point demand for govt’s resignation
Staff Correspondent Dhaka
The protesters have taken position on the road beside the BNS Centre in the capitals in Uttara Prothom Alo
The protesters have taken position on the road beside the BNS Centre in the capitals in Uttara. Parents of the protesting students have also joined them in the protest today, Friday.
Meanwhile, Awami League activists also took position in front of the Amir Complex in Uttara. They were seen sitting under a shed there.
Two units of the police and Armed Forces Battalion (APBn) have been deployed near the BNS Centre.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mahfuz Kamal, a guardian who was standing in the lane behind the BNS Centre, said, “We came here for the safety of our children. We want peace. Not a single bullet anymore. Even those bullets were purchased with our money.”
Many of the parents and guardians were saying, “Let them open fire. Together, we will resist.”
Earlier, students from different educational institutions took position on footpaths carrying placards with various slogans against the law enforcement and the government.
The pro-government activists were seen sitting under a shed in front of the Amir Complex in the area.
Meanwhile, the police took position in front of the BNS Centre and on the main road of the Jasimuddin area.
Updated: 03 Aug 2024, 19: 43
Thousands of students and demonstrators gathered at the central Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka University campus on 3 August, 2024.Sabina Yasmin
The Students Against Discrimination has now announced a one-point demand for the government's resignation.
Nahid Islam, coordinator of the student platform that led the quota reform protests, made the announcement from a mass gathering at the central Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka University campus on Saturday.
Around 5:30 pm, he announced through the megaphone, “We have reached a decision about a one-point demand, to ensure safety of human life and establish justice in society. The demand is the downfall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the incumbent government as well as abolition of the fascism.”
Expressing their vision for a new Bangladesh free from dictatorship and fascism, he said, “For the student and mass uprising, we, on behalf of the Students Against Discrimination, would announce a platform in coordination with student organisations, professionals and people from all walks of life. We would present a national roadmap for future Bangladesh, through consultation with all.”
The student leader demanded that not only Sheikh Hasina, but also the entire cabinet step down. “The fascist government must be abolished. We want to form a Bangladesh, create a political environment that would never allow another autocracy and fascism.”
He announced the commencement of a mass uprising and urged all the people to join the protests. Citing non-cooperation from the next day, he called upon the people to get united in their localities against the current government.
Other leaders of the student platform, including Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, Asif Mahmud, Abu Bakr Majumder, and Abdul Quader, also attended the programme and made similar calls.
The student protests began on 1 July with demands for reforms in the government job quota system. The situation escalated after a deadly clash on 16 July, resulting in the deaths of six people.
Since then, the movement has gained momentum, with 215 deaths in subsequent clashes, and thousands of injuries. Later, the protesting students presented a nine-point demand, and further suppressions on them consolidated the demands into a single call for the government's resignation.
They called for a demonstration programme across the country for today, with the main gathering at the Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka University campus.
According to three Prothom Alo correspondents from the spot, protesters started coming to the spot in groups at 2:30 pm, with various anti-government slogans. The crowd of protesters continued to spread in the adjacent areas in the following hours.
Apart from students, people from different walks of life were seen among the protesters.
Rickshaw pullers chant slogans at the gathering of the capital’s Shaheed Minar on 3 August 2024.Pothom Alo
Rickshaw pullers also joined the protesters at the capital’s Shaheed Minar around 3:30 pm on Saturday.
They took position with their rickshaws near the Shaheed Minar and were seen chanting different slogans.
Their slogans include ‘Movement cannot be stopped by firings’, ‘We gave blood once, will give more’, ‘Floods of blood will wash away injustice,’ ‘Who are you who am I, Razakar, Razakar, Who said it who said it, Dictator, Dictator,’ and ‘We will not let our brothers’ blood go in vain.
Thousands of students and demonstrators gathered at the central Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka University campus on 3 August, 2024.Sabina Yasmin
The Students Against Discrimination has now announced a one-point demand for the government's resignation.
Nahid Islam, coordinator of the student platform that led the quota reform protests, made the announcement from a mass gathering at the central Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka University campus on Saturday.
Around 5:30 pm, he announced through the megaphone, “We have reached a decision about a one-point demand, to ensure safety of human life and establish justice in society. The demand is the downfall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the incumbent government as well as abolition of the fascism.”
Expressing their vision for a new Bangladesh free from dictatorship and fascism, he said, “For the student and mass uprising, we, on behalf of the Students Against Discrimination, would announce a platform in coordination with student organisations, professionals and people from all walks of life. We would present a national roadmap for future Bangladesh, through consultation with all.”
The student leader demanded that not only Sheikh Hasina, but also the entire cabinet step down. “The fascist government must be abolished. We want to form a Bangladesh, create a political environment that would never allow another autocracy and fascism.”
He announced the commencement of a mass uprising and urged all the people to join the protests. Citing non-cooperation from the next day, he called upon the people to get united in their localities against the current government.
Other leaders of the student platform, including Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, Asif Mahmud, Abu Bakr Majumder, and Abdul Quader, also attended the programme and made similar calls.
The student protests began on 1 July with demands for reforms in the government job quota system. The situation escalated after a deadly clash on 16 July, resulting in the deaths of six people.
Since then, the movement has gained momentum, with 215 deaths in subsequent clashes, and thousands of injuries. Later, the protesting students presented a nine-point demand, and further suppressions on them consolidated the demands into a single call for the government's resignation.
They called for a demonstration programme across the country for today, with the main gathering at the Shaheed Minar on the Dhaka University campus.
According to three Prothom Alo correspondents from the spot, protesters started coming to the spot in groups at 2:30 pm, with various anti-government slogans. The crowd of protesters continued to spread in the adjacent areas in the following hours.
Apart from students, people from different walks of life were seen among the protesters.
Rickshaw pullers chant slogans at the gathering of the capital’s Shaheed Minar on 3 August 2024.Pothom Alo
Rickshaw pullers also joined the protesters at the capital’s Shaheed Minar around 3:30 pm on Saturday.
They took position with their rickshaws near the Shaheed Minar and were seen chanting different slogans.
Their slogans include ‘Movement cannot be stopped by firings’, ‘We gave blood once, will give more’, ‘Floods of blood will wash away injustice,’ ‘Who are you who am I, Razakar, Razakar, Who said it who said it, Dictator, Dictator,’ and ‘We will not let our brothers’ blood go in vain.
The protesters have taken position on the road beside the BNS Centre in the capitals in Uttara. Parents of the protesting students have also joined them in the protest today, Friday.
Meanwhile, Awami League activists also took position in front of the Amir Complex in Uttara. They were seen sitting under a shed there.
Two units of the police and Armed Forces Battalion (APBn) have been deployed near the BNS Centre.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mahfuz Kamal, a guardian who was standing in the lane behind the BNS Centre, said, “We came here for the safety of our children. We want peace. Not a single bullet anymore. Even those bullets were purchased with our money.”
Many of the parents and guardians were saying, “Let them open fire. Together, we will resist.”
Earlier, students from different educational institutions took position on footpaths carrying placards with various slogans against the law enforcement and the government.
The pro-government activists were seen sitting under a shed in front of the Amir Complex in the area.
Meanwhile, the police took position in front of the BNS Centre and on the main road of the Jasimuddin area.
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