Free detained students, people within 24 hrs

Eminent citizens including academics and university teachers warned on Thursday that a tougher movement would be launched unless the government did not release the students and ordinary people who were detained without any reasons within the next 24 hours.

They under the banner of 'Enraged Citizens' Society' issued the ultimatum at a human chain programme held in front of the Detective Branch of (DB) Police office at Minto Road in the capital.

Eminent economist, public policy analyst and also Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya called upon the government to release all the students and ordinary people being detained without any trial within the next 24 hours.

"We (enraged citizens) have heard that the six coordinators of the student movement have been freed by the DB. We are happy for that but not completely satisfied as students, teachers and ordinary people are still in detention," he said.

Dr Asif Nazrul, teacher of the Department of Law of Dhaka University said, "We will stage a greater and tougher movement if all the detained students are not freed, if trial for killings is not ensured and educational institutions (universities and colleges) are not reopened immediately."

Rushad Faridi, teacher of the Economics Department of Dhaka University, said "Our progrmme will continue."

He said that they would hold a rally titled "Draho Jatra" in front of the National Press Club on Friday where students, teachers and ordinary people will participate.

Assistant Professor of the Department of Sociology of Dhaka University Samina Lutfa said they had heard that the six coordinators of the student movement were being freed by the DB; yet they did not know whether they were now safe really.

She observed that the whole country has become a prison following wholesale detention of students and ordinary people by the government.

She demanded an immediate end to arrests of students and ordinary people during the students' movement against discrimination.

"You (government) freed the six coordinators, now let the detained students and general people be freed," she said.

Prof Dr Mostafizur Rahman of the CPD, widow of late Dr Jafar Ullah Chowdhury Shirin Haque, executive director of the Association for Land Reform in Bangladesh (ALRD) Shamsul Huda, executive director of the Transparency International Bangaldesh Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Prof of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism Dr Giti Ara Nasrin, executive director of private organisaiton UBINIG Farida Akter and organising secretary of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Gosti Arif Noor, its member Rumi Proba and Prof of Anthropology of Jahangir Nagar University Mirza Taslima Sultana were present, among others.

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