Students under the platform of Student Movement Against Discrimination on Thursday observed the ‘Resistance Week’ programme for the third consecutive day demanding trial of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
As part of the programme, students held a sit-in at the capital’s Shahbagh crossing to press home their four-point demand, including trial of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others involved in killing of innocent people, including students, during the quota reform student movement.
The movement forced Hasina to resign as prime minister and flee to India where she has now taken shelter.Â
The students started gathering at Shahbagh from 11:00am as part of the preannounced programme.
They chanted slogans vowing to prevent a counter-revolution and performed songs, poetry, and plays at the programme,
The slogans included ‘We want execution, we want Hasina’s execution,’ ‘We won’t let our brothers’ blood go in vain,’ ‘There will be no place for terrorists in this Bangladesh’ and others.
One of the key coordinators of the movement Sarjis Alam told the media that students heard from various sources that on the occasion of August 15, the Awami League, Chhatra League, Jubo
League, and others who were accomplices of the autocratic regime, were trying to stage a counter-revolution.
‘Warning them, we want to say that even if they make the least attempt to stage a counter-revolution after the student-led mass uprising against the fascist government and its fall on August 5, the fascists will no longer have any existence,’ he said.
In response to a question about whether the platform would demand a ban on Awami politics, he said that since the start of the quota reform movement, they had always done what the people of this country sought.
‘If the people of this country believe that the Awami League no longer has the right to engage in politics, we will raise that demand on behalf of the people,’ he answered.
The platform coordinator of Manarat International University HM Moin said, ‘We want to ensure that the new generation can live in peace.’
During the sit-in programme, a group named the Anti-Discrimination Cultural Alliance was also seen holding a cultural rally in front of flower shops at Shahbagh.
The platform on Tuesday launched the weeklong ‘Resistance Week’ programme to press home four-point demand, including the formation of a special tribunal to ensure a speedy trial of murders committed by Hasina and her government using fascist structures, and trial of those who participated in the AL and its grand alliance partners’ planned killing, robbery, looting, and attacks on religious minorities.
Besides, the demands also included removal and immediate trial of those officials in the administration and judiciary who had legitimised attacks, lawsuits, and killings
during the student movement and repeatedly attempted to establish fascism, and equal opportunities for those who had been subjected to discrimination in the administration and judiciary.
