Thousands of people swamp the Central Shaheed Minar on Dhaka University campus on Saturday afternoon during a protest rally organised by the Students Against Discrimination. — FE Photo by Shafiqul Alam
Emboldened leadership of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement now opts for a single-point demand for resignation of the government, ramping up street agitations into noncooperation campaigns from today.
Riding the crest of a student-people crowd at a central rally on Saturday, the student platform categorically called for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her entire council of ministers to quit to get over the prolonged faceoff that stemmed from massive job-quota protests.
One of the coordinators of the movement, Nahid Islam, declared the decisions at a mammoth rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka at 5:30 pm.
A 'complete non-cooperation' movement also commences today (Sunday), as announced earlier.
"To ensure public safety and establish justice in society," Nahid said, "we stand united on a single demand: the resignation of the Sheikh Hasina government and the elimination of fascism from the country."
In a further toughening of their stance, which now borders on longstanding political lines, he said, "We will soon form a united front that includes people from all walks of life-students, citizens and professionals-to lead a student-citizen revolution."
The readout states: "Hasina and her entire cabinet must quit. The fascist regime must be dismantled. We seek a political system where there is no possibility of the return of autocracy or fascism."
Nahid also urged the public to join the 'revolution' being initiated by students and organise within their respective neighbourhoods and communities, saying that a student-citizen uprising can only topple the government.
Students and the masses from various parts of the capital started gathering in the Shaheed Minar area at 2.30 pm.
As time ticked past, the ground swelling widened with the number of agitators increasing. There was no place to step in the Shaheed Minar square and its surrounding regions filled in with crowds.
The movement, which began with demands for quota reform, has now turned into calls for the government's exit. As of 6:30 PM, protesters were still arriving in marches from different areas.
Students protesting in the Shaheed Minar area were chanting various slogans such as "My brother is in the grave, why the killer is outside," "Justice, justice, we want justice," "We have given blood, we will give more blood," "Set the dictator's throne on fire together," "Light the fire, light the fire," "There's a storm inside my chest, I've bared my chest, shoot," "Student-people's uprising, uprising," "Resignation, resignation, Sheikh Hasina's resignation".
As part of Saturday's programme, protesters under the banner of the student movement started a protest march at Science Lab intersection in the capital around 12:00 PM.
At 2:30 PM, they began moving from Science Lab intersection towards the central Shaheed Minar.
Around 3:00 PM, several thousand people from Science Lab arrived at Shaheed Minar in a march.
At 4:45 PM, the entire area was resonating with continuous slogans from thousands of people. The crowd extended from one side to Jagannath Hall, another side to Bangabandhu Tower, and beyond Doel Chattar.
More people from different areas of the capital are heading towards Shaheed Minar.
Rickshaw-pullers joined protesters at the Shaheed Minar in the capital, chanting slogans.
Expressing solidarity with the current student movement, Expatriate Unity Council has called for 'All-Out Non-Cooperation Movement'.
Responding to this call, the expatriate Bangladeshis from various parts of the world have formed the unity council to support this movement, it said in statement.
The expatriate community has already filed a case against Sheikh Hasina and her associates in the International Criminal Court.
"Every day we see new names on the list of the dead, even innocent four-year-old children are not spared. Alongside this, there are ongoing oppression and mass arrests. Despite this oppression, students and the public have formed an unstoppable resistance against the murderous government", it said in the statement.
"The government is now making a last-ditch effort to cling to power by using the army as a shield. As a last resort, they are summoning officers from Dhaka, Mirpur, and Savar Cantonments to Army Headquarters to draft a blueprint to suppress the student-public movement", it added.
Agitating students and their well-wishers also hold rallies, procession in different parts of the capital city including Uttara, Aftabnagar, Badda, Rampura, Bansree, Mirpur-10 and Science Lab intersection.
Students of private universities including BRAC University, East West University, UITS and South East University gathered at Aftabnagar, Badda and Rampura road. Even students schools and colleges along with their and parents participated the crowd.
They showed placards demanding the government's resignation and enchanted slogans saying 'My brother is in the grave, why is the murderer outside', 'Justice Justice, we want justice'.
Left alliance against fascism comprising a number of leftist political parties demanded the resignation of the government acknowledging the onus of all murders occurred centering the quota-reform movement.
Through a joint statement issued to the media on Saturday, the platform urged the country's people to join the democratic movement.
The prevailing curfew in Dhaka and its neighbouring districts eased between 7.00 am to 8.00pm on Saturday.
The protesting students also brought out a protest march in the streets and alleys next to the BNS Centre in Uttara of the capital on the day. At this time, they are also seen standing with placards.
Residents of the Uttara area and parents of students are also with them.
Around 3:30pm, police and Awami League activists were seen taking positions in front of and around the BNS Centre. At that time, two teams of police were stationed under the BNS centre.
Students started marching with different slogans and placards in the back lane of BNS Centre.
Students from the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT), Shanta Mariam, Uttara University, City University, Manarat University, Rajuk College, Uttara High School, Milestone College and others joined the protest. There were students of nearby educational institutions including schools, trust colleges also.
A student of BUFT University said they had gathered to implement the previously announced programme by the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement.
He claimed their programme was in front of the BNS Centre but they didn't go there again because of the police presence.
Haider Ali, a parent who stood with the students in the procession, said that there is no option for them to stay at home as their children are not safe even at home.
He said, "I want security for all children and for this I expressed solidarity with the students."
The students, however, said their 9-point demand has now become a single point and it is the resignation of the government.
It is not only the demand of the students, it is now the demand of the mass people, said students at Uttara.
After staging a demonstration there, they left the place and went to different places under the instructions of the coordinators there.
Students also stage demo in Jatrabari, they took a position on the sidewalk with placards while no police presence observed.
The 12-party opposition alliance has expressed its support for the current student movement calling for a 'non-cooperation' movement from Saturday.
This announcement was made in a press release following an emergency meeting at the alliance's temporary office in Purana Paltan, the capital, yesterday.
Speaking at the event, Shahadat Hossain Salim, Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and spokesperson for the 12-party alliance, warned the government, saying, "The movement of our political parties over the past 15 years has not failed. The ongoing movement will not be in vain. The democratic people of the country will prevail with the fall of this Awami League government."
Meanwhile, road communication of the capital city with parts of the country was disrupted on Saturday as thousands of protestors blocked various points of national highways in support of the quota reform movement.
The country's prime Dhaka-Chattogram national highway was blocked in protest against attack and killing of protestors and mass people and demanding justice. According to agencies, mass surge has been witnessed at Jatrabari Signboard area and Dhaka-Tangail highway.
Students and local people also blocked Dhaka Rajshahi highway in front of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology gate. People of all strata including teachers, students and lawyers took position on the highway showing united with the movement.
Many traffic boxes in the city have been found vacant as the Dhaka Metropolitan Police withdrew police personnel in the city on ground of security.
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