Election to constituent assembly to frame new constitution demanded, March for Unity asserts no election before reforms, trial of Hasina, allies聽
The Students Against Discrimination and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee on Tuesday called on the interim government to issue a July uprising proclamation by January 15.
They made the demand at a mass rally鈥撯�揗arch for Unity鈥撯�揳t the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital.
As the student leaders, who lead the uprising, were preparing to announce the July proclamation from the rally, the interim government Monday evening announced that it would聽 prepare a proclamation of the July uprising based on national consensus.
Students Against Discrimination leaders at the rally urged the masses to make a pledge to ensure justice for the mass killings during the uprising and pursue state reforms before the national elections.
They said that the aspirations of the people and students ignited by the 2024 uprising must be reflected in the proclamation of the July uprising; otherwise, it would not be accepted.聽
Until the issuance of the July proclamation by the interim government, Students Against Discrimination convener Hasnat Abdullah urged all concerned to go to the people in the neighborhoods to bring out what the people want to say in the proclamation.
鈥榃e issued a one-point declaration from this Shaheed Minar on August 3 and ousted sheikh Hasina on August 5 but many in the police and bureaucracy could not accept this uprising and continued to hatch conspiracies against us,鈥� he said.
Hasnat urged the conspirators to accept the reality saying that Sheikh Hasina and her allies would not be rehabilitated in the country.
He said that after five months of the July uprising, the law and order situation was yet to stabilise and the prices of essential commodities remained uncontrolled.
Hasnat called on the government to restore law and order and stabilise commodity prices eliminating market syndicates.
He highlighted the torture, oppression, disappearances,聽 and murders committed by the Awami League over the past 16 years, stressing the need to hold them accountable and vowing that anti-fascist forces would remain united in opposition to the Awami League.
The people of Bangladesh want the proclamation of the July uprising, new constitution and state reforms, said Jatiya Nagorik Committee member secretary Akther Hossain.
On the ongoing discussion about the necessity of a public mandate for framing a new constitution, he said, 鈥榃e propose that the upcoming election should be an election to the constituent assembly and the elected representatives will be responsible for framing the new constitution.鈥�
Jatiya Nagorik Committee chief organiser Sarjis Alam thanked the government for taking an initiative to prepare a proclamation of the July uprising based on national consensus.
鈥楾he Students Against Discrimination had planned to draft and announce the July uprising proclamation on Tuesday, but the government announced on Monday that they would take responsibility for its preparation,鈥� he said. adding, 鈥榃e thanked the government for the initiative.鈥�
Sarjis demanded that the government must ensure justice for the mass killings during the July uprising, repatriate smuggled money, stabilise commodity prices, and ensure proper treatment for the people injured during the uprising.
He also appealed to the government to maintain friendly relations with all nations, emphasising that reactionary foreign policy decisions would not be acceptable.
Students Against Discrimination spokesperson Umama Fatema said that no elections would be held in the country before the trial of Sheikh Hasina for mass killing.
Jatiya Nagorik Committee convener Nasiruddin Patwary said that the July uprising proclamation to be announced by the government must clearly reflect the principles of justice, the aspirations of the martyrs, and the will of the people; otherwise, it would not be accepted.
He demanded effective action to abolish the fascist system, warning, 鈥榦therwise, the protesting students will be forced to take the law into their own hands.鈥�
At the rally, student leaders from across the country demanded that deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina be brought back to the country and tried for suppressing the mass uprising and for the indiscriminate killing and disappearance of innocent people.
The rally began with speeches from the families of the people killed or injured in the July uprising.
Earlier, students from various districts and upazilas across the countrytarted gathering at the Central Shaheed Minar and its surrounding areas from Tuesday morning.
Despite the arrival of protester-carrying buses from outlying districts, the traffic situation in the Shahbagh and Ramna areas remained manageable until the evening, as Dhaka Metropolitan Police traffic department diverted the buses to the previous ground of the International Trade Fair at Agargaon.
Additional traffic police were deployed to manage traffic flow.
No significant tailbacks were observed at nearby crossings until 6:00pm.
As the March for Unity concluded in the evening, passengers crowded bus stops to board public transport, disrupting the smooth traffic management.
Earlier, the Students Against Discrimination and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee had scheduled a rally at the Central Shaheed Minar for Tuesday to announce the July uprising proclamation.
The chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam, however, on Monday evening announced that the interim government would prepare a proclamation of July uprising based on national consensus.
Immediately after the government announcement, the student leaders convened an emergency meeting and turned their programme into聽 the March for Unity instead of the announcement of the July uprising proclamation.
