Students demonstrate in front of RU

The Rajshahi University students demonstrated in front of the campus and held a protest procession to press their 9-point demand, including proper investigation into the killings of students during the quota reform movement and justice for the victims. The students staged the demonstrations at around 11:45 am Monday.

The students started thronging on the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in front of the main entrance of the university from 11:30 am. They started chanting slogans as more students joined the protest. Members of the police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were also deployed there.

Several university teachers also joined the demonstration expressing solidarity with the students. They are RU physics department professor Saleh Hasan Nakib, Arabic department professor Iftikharul Alam Masud, CSE (computer science and engineering) department Professor Saiful Islam and social work department Professor Mohammad Jamilur Islam.

Meanwhile, the demonstrators chanted various slogans demanding justice for the students who have been killed and realisation of their 9-point demand.

One of the key coordinators of the ‘anti-discriminatory student movement’ Mehedi Sajib addressed the demonstration. He highlighted their 9-point demand.

He said, “We were calm. But they opened fire towards my brothers. We took to the streets to realise our constitutional rights. The law enforcements are the servants of the republic. They were supposed to maintain law and order. However, the bullets purchased with our money have been used against us, the students. In protest of all these we are demonstrating here today peacefully.”

Professor Iftikharul Alam Masud and Saleh Hasan Nakib addressed the demonstration on behalf of the teachers. Professor Saleh Hasan Nakib said, “We are standing in bloodshed at the moment. What happened was completely atrocious. We are hurt by how people were killed in cold blood or by the anarchy that broke out centering the unrest, we are quite aggrieved. The students are on the path of justice and they will always stand for justice. I am so proud as a teacher seeing how brave and determined my students are.”

Professor Iftikharul Alam Masud said, “You are still vocal about your demand despite such adversity, bloodshed and killings. This is nothing but the blessings of the martyrs who lost lives in this movement. They had a dream of seeing a Bangladesh that upholds humanism. There is no need to wage a movement for these sorts of demands that are our rights in a proper social system. However, the government who has been elected without any vote has taken us to such a level that the students and teachers had to take to the streets cancelling the academic activities. I want an end to this.”

Following the speeches from the teachers, the law enforcement hurried the students to end the programme. The students then brought out a procession which ended in Binodpur. The programme ended at around 12:45 pm.

Before that, movement coordinator Mehedi Sajib declared that they would continue to hold all programmes to be declared centrally.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, additional police commissioner (crime and operations) of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP), Mohammad Hemayetul Islam said, “The students demonstrated as part of the programmes declared centrally. They held the programme peacefully. We wanted to avert any violent situation and so were the students. There were some teachers at the spot. They also persuaded the students. The law and order in Rajshahi is completely under control.”