On the last afternoon of the eventful year of 2024, thousands of students and members of the public gathered at the central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka. Slogans were raised at this massive gathering organised in response to a call by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the Nagorik Committee.
The event, titled March for Unity, witnessed people converging from all over the country to join this programme.
On Tuesday afternoon, the leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the Nagorik Committee presented four major demands at the rally.
The first demand was for the interim government to publish the initiative for the July Uprising Proclamation, based on national consensus, by 15 January.
The second demand was to bring Sheikh Hasina back to the country and conduct a trial against her. The third demand was to judicially ban the Bangladesh Awami League (AL), while the fourth emphasised that elections should only be held after essential reforms.
From early in the morning, people from outside Dhaka began arriving at the central Shaheed Minar area for the March for Unity. By noon, students from different areas and educational institutions in Dhaka, as well as individuals from various classes and professions, joined the programme.
As the day progressed, the number of participants steadily grew. By 3:00 pm, a large number of people had gathered, traveling through streets like Nilkhet, Palashi, Doel Chattar, Chankharpul, and Shahbagh to reach the Shaheed Minar rally.
The rally’s stage featured family members of the martyrs and injured individuals from the July Uprising, along with coordinators and co-coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement announced on 3 August.
It was declared that all 158 coordinators and co-coordinators were present at the programme. Leaders of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee were also on stage. To accommodate the vast crowd, multiple digital screens were set up around the stage, and the rally was broadcast live.
Participants carried placards with slogans such as “Two Zero Two Four, Fascism No More” and “Motherland or Death,” reflecting their determination.
Buses carrying attendees from outside Dhaka were parked on various roads around Dhaka University, and some vehicles were stationed in the university’s central playground. Drones hovered over the Shaheed Minar, capturing visuals of the rally.
On Sunday, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement held a press conference announcing that the Proclamation of July Revolution would be declared at the Shaheed Minar on 31 December.
This announcement triggered widespread discussion in the country’s political sphere. Speculations and debates arose about the sudden prominence of the proclamation issue and its potential impact.
On Monday night, around 9:15 pm, an emergency briefing by the press wing of the Chief Adviser confirmed that the interim government had initiated the preparation of a July Uprising Proclamation based on national consensus.
This proclamation would incorporate input from participating students, political parties, and stakeholders, including the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, which led the uprising, said the chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam.
Four and a half hours later, at 1:45 am, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement held another press conference, announcing the March for Unity at the Shaheed Minar for the afternoon of 31 December.
A grief that won’t fade
Before the rally’s formal proceedings began, a documentary film portraying disappearances, murders, extrajudicial killings, corruption, and looting during the previous Awami League regime was screened from 2:00 pm.
Slogans resonated from the stage until 4:00 pm. Notably, no leaders of the major political parties or student organisations were present at the gathering.
The programme began promptly at 4:00 pm with a minute’s silence in memory of the martyrs of the July Uprising.
The first speaker, Md. Abul Hasan, father of martyr Shahriar Hasan Alvi, expressed his grief and anger: “Our tears will never stop; this grief will never fade away. The families of the martyrs demand justice - Sheikh Hasina must be brought back and awarded the death penalty. Only then will we find peace.”
His son, a 9th-grader, was shot to death in the Mirpur-10 area on 4 August.
Mir Mostafizur Rahman, father of martyr Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdha, questioned how Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader managed to leave the country three months after the uprising.
He demanded that those martyred and injured in the uprising be officially recognised as revolutionary fighters.
Khokan Chandra Burman, whose face was disfigured during the anti-discrimination movement, urged the government to oversee proper treatment for the injured.
Atikul Gazi, another injured protestor, declared, “Many political parties are obsessed with elections. We didn’t sacrifice blood for elections alone. We demand reforms. No elections will take place without reforms.”
Khadijatul Kubra, a Jagannath University student, who was imprisoned for nearly a year and a half during the Awami League regime in a Digital Security Act case, said she did not get justice yet. “Awami League cronies are infiltrating Shibir and BNP. This cannot be accepted,” she expressed.
Sharif, an expatriate worker who protested in Dubai on 19 July in solidarity with the uprising, demanded justice for Sheikh Hasina and her associates from the rally stage.
Demand for proclamation by 15 January
During the mass uprising, numerous coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement addressed the rally, with slogans echoing between speeches.
The rally’s closing speaker, Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, started his speech saying “Many could not accept the July mass uprising. That is why conspiracies against us have surfaced repeatedly within the Secretariat, Police, and Judiciary. In the past, there was the practice of burning sati; now, we witness the practice of burning documents. I want to say to those conspiring against us in the Secretariat: you must accept reality.”
Addressing the interim government directly, Hasnat stressed the urgency of breaking the power of syndicates. “Prices of goods must be stabilised, and law and order restored. If any revolutionary faces an attack, this government will be held accountable,” he declared. He added, “We have no enemies in Bangladesh after 5 August - our only enemy is the Awami League. Anti-fascist political forces must unite to stand against the Awami League.”
Turning to the key demand of the rally, Hasnat emphasised the necessity of issuing the Proclamation of July Uprising. “The government must release the July Uprising Proclamation by 15 January. The fight against those who have established a fascist and terrorist state will not waver,” he stated firmly.
As he concluded his speech, Hasnat called on the crowd to raise their hands in solidarity and take an oath to continue the struggle. Thousands of hands rose, Hasnat then led the gathering in a rousing chant: “What is needed at this moment is justice and reform.”
He ended with a promise: “We will meet again on 15 January with our proclamation.”
No election before trial
Before Hasnat’s speech, Arif Sohel, Member Secretary of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said that they would build a new Bangladesh with everyone.
At the rally, Umama Fatema, spokesperson of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said, “We want to make it clear that there will be no election before the Awami League is tried. We will not let the 2024 uprising fail like those in 1990 or 1971.”
Rifat Rashid, Executive Member of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said that the Awami League loyalists are still active across the country. They must also be brought to justice.
Executive Member Nusrat Tabassum emphasised that government institutions need to be liberated from the grip of Awami League loyalists. She also demanded prompt student parliament elections in all educational institutions.
Another executive committee member, Mahin Sarkar, called for the Awami League to be banned through a judicial process.
Demand to Ban Awami League Judicially
At the gathering, Jatiya Nagorik Committee Convener Nasiruddin Patwari stressed that any government proclamation would be unacceptable unless it fully acknowledges the bloodshed, sacrifices, and personal losses endured during the uprising.
He insisted that the proclamation must include specific commitments to reform national institutions.
Nasiruddin Patwari warned that the government must act swiftly to dismantle the fascist system. “Otherwise,” he cautioned, “the revolutionaries of 2024 will take matters into their own hands. The Awami League must face judicial proceedings for its involvement in murders.”
Those who will betray, be overthrown
Jatiya Nagorik Committee Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain noted that people expect a new constitution.
He explained that the next election in Bangladesh would be a Constituent Assembly election. Those elected would draft a new constitution while also serving as members of the legislative assembly.
Jatiya Nagorik Committee Spokesperson Samantha Sharmin reiterated that the government must announce the Proclamation of July Revolution by 15 January.
Sarjis Alam, the Chief Organiser of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, called on the government to deliver justice for the victims of the July massacre, dismantle corrupt syndicates, recover smuggled money, control soaring commodity prices to ease public suffering, and provide proper medical treatment to the injured.
He declared, “If anyone in the Secretariat, police, or any other institution betrays the spirit of the uprising, they must be uprooted completely.”