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Different political parties and cultural activists on Friday against staged protests wholesale killing of students, wholesale arrest and intimidation.

Left-leaning and progressive political parties at a rally in Dhaka also demanded resignation of the Awami League government for killing more than 200 students and people controlling protests of the students demanding reforms of the quota system in government jobs.

Thirty-one cultural organisations protested at killing of students and ordinary people as well as mass arrests for violence and vandalism during the anti-quota student movement.

Left Democratic Alliance, a combine of six left political parties, Anti-Fascism Left Parties, a combine of seven left parties, and Bangladesh Jasod organised a mourning procession in Dhaka to commemorate more than 200 students and people killed in the anti-quota protests by the students recently.

Prior to the mourning procession, the parties held a rally in front of the Communist Party of Bangladesh central office at Purana Paltan where coordinator of the LDA and also general secretary of Socialist Party of Bangladesh Bazlur Rashid Firoz chaired.

Bazlur Rashid Firoz said that the Awami League government must resign from power taking responsibility for killing more than 200 students and people to control the protests by the students.

Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said that the Awami League government could not avoid responsibility for killing more than 200 people by the law enforcers.

Leader of Anti-fascism Left Alliance Belal Chowdhury said that the government should fulfil demands of the students of the anti-quota movement immediately.

Bangladesh Jasod general secretary Nazmul Haque Prodhan demanded stopping arrest and harassment of leaders of the opposition political parties.

The rally was followed by a mourning procession that paraded up to the Dainik Bangla crossing and ended in front of the CPB central office.

Joint general secretary of CPB Mihir Ghosh, assistant general secretary of SPB Razequzzaman Ratan, Revolutionary Communist League general secretary Iqbal Kabir Jahid, Democratic Revolutionary Party general secretary Mushrefa Mishu, Bangladesh Jasod central leaders Mustuq Husain, Badal Khan, SPB(Marxist) coordinator Masud Rana, Anti-fascism Left Alliance leaders Jafar Hossain, Nasir Uddin Nasu, Masud Khan, Mahinuddin Chowdhury Liton, CPB central leader Joly Talukder and others attended the programme.  

Addressing a protest rally titled Swajan Harano Shashane Toder Chitai Ami Tulboi in front of the National Press Club, cultural activists demanded justice for those killed and injured by firing of members of law enforcement agencies during clashes.

Photographer and activist Shahidul Alam, lawyer and rights activist Sara Hossain, writer and activist Rahnuma Ahmed, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan, educationist and activist Samina Lutfa, activist Saydia Gulrukh, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi vice-president Jamshed Anwer Tapan, journalist Ashraf Kaiser, Abu Saeed Khan, Theatre activist Mohammad Ali Haider, Deepak Kumar Goswami,  Samageet Sangskriti Prangan artist and singer Amal Akash, photographer  Jannatul Mawa, musician Farzana Wahid Shayan, among others, participated in the protest.    

Besides, members of the Protibadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangathonsomuha, which represent 31 organisations, including Bibartan Sangskritik Kendra, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi, Pragati Lekhak Sangha, BotTola, Samageet, Teerondaj, and Theatre 52, among others, attended the protest. 

Bibarton Sangskritik Kendra general secretary Mafizur Rahman Laltu delivered the keynote speech about the protest.

Later, the protesters brought out a procession from in front of the press club which ended at Purana Paltan. 

‘We, the cultural activists and other professionals, are standing here to urge the government to stop mass arrests and give proper treatment to those injured during the movement,’ said Mafizur Rahman Laltu.

‘More than 200 people were killed by the government but it is only giving statements about damage to government property which can influence neutral investigations,’ said Abu Saeed Khan. 

‘We are protesting against an undemocratic regime which has killed 200 ordinary people, most of whom are students. We need to preserve data of every death, every injury, every arrest which has already disappeared from television programmes,’ said Samina Lutfa.

‘We aren’t able to know the correct numbers of deaths, injuries and arrests in the ongoing anti-quota student movement,’ said Sara Hossain.

‘The injured students cannot receive treatment as they are the protesters. We condemn brutalities of the government. We demand an investigation under the United Nations. We don’t know how much time it will take to normalise relations between citizens and law enforcement agencies,’ said Syeda Rizwana Hasan.    

The protesters rendered people’s songs and recited poems at the event.