Students Against Discrimination to form committees outside Dhaka too

Students Against Discrimination (SAD) and Jatiya Nagorik Committee are thinking about spreading their organisational structure at the district and upazila level.

The move is likely to be visible from next week. On the other hand, the activities of constituting the committee of Students Against Discrimination will start this October.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, several conveners of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee and several coordinators of SAD disclosed this.

Students Against Discrimination led the mass uprising that deposed the government of Bangladesh Awami League (AL) on 5 August.

Meanwhile, the Jatiya Nagorik Committee emerged on 13 September with a view to consolidate the power of the mass uprising and reform the state.

Since the fall of the AL government, there have been incidents of illegal occupation, extortion, recommendation and misbehaving with teachers at various districts and upazilas by the people who identified them as coordinators and co-coordinators of SAD.

Besides, the name of Students Against Discrimination has been used to force a number of officials of government and autonomous organisations to resign.

In this context, the central coordinators of Students Against Discrimination have decided to constitute committees or teams at the district and upazila levels.

Speaking about this, coordinator Sargis Alam told Prothom Alo on Tuesday that the first reason to constitute teams at the upazilas is to identify those who are getting involved in acts of crimes in the name of coordinators.

He further said it would be easier for them to expel and take legal actions if anyone of the team gets involved in crimes.

The Students Against Discrimination wants to work as a pressure group in the reform of the state at the district level.

The central coordinators also feel that they need to have an organised team to uphold the spirit of the mass uprising.

The number of central coordinators and co-coordinators is 158.

They visited 44 districts in eight groups and attended meetings to exchange views with people from all walks of life in September. They received proposals to form an alternative political platform and some other proposals.

The work of forming teams at the district and upazila level will begin in October, said central coordinator Abdul Kader.

He told Prothom Alo that people of different parties and ideologies had stakes in the movement led by the Students Against Discrimination. But many crimes are being committed at different places using the name of the Students Against Discrimination since 5 August. Many people are getting involved in extortion, illegal occupation and other crimes identifying them as coordinators. But no organisational action could be taken as there was no organisational structure.

Since its inauguration three weeks ago, the Jatiya Nagarik Committee has held unofficial meetings with different political parties. The committee delegations have already sat with the AB Party, Ganasamhati Andolan, Gono Adhikar Parishad and several other left leaning parties. The committee wants to sit with all parties gradually. They are going to hold meetings with the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and the Islami Andolan Bangladesh very soon.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Nagarik Committee convener Nasiruddin Patwary said they are sitting with different political parties unofficially. However, they are yet to start official meetings with the parties. The unofficial meetings are being held mainly to get acquainted with political leaders and to convey the message from the youth.

Nasiruddin Patwary said the process was underway to form committees at the district and upazila level. The process will be visible from next week.

The Nagarik Committee has already formed four teams, including the law affairs team, health affairs team, media team and IT team. They are prioritising the law and health affairs teams at the moment.

The health affairs team is keeping an eye on the persons who sustained injuries during the mass uprising and taking necessary initiatives to help them. The law affairs team is providing assistance to the families of the victims in case they want to lodge a case.

However, the main agenda of the Jatiya Nagarik Committee is not clear yet. There are talks within the political arena that the initiative has been taken as the first step to form a political party.

Speaking regarding the possibilities of forming a political party using this platform or taking part in the polls, committee convener Nasiruddin Patwary said, “We can give it a thought if the people of the country feel that way. We want to make a common ground including all to build a new Bangladesh that won’t support fascism. For instance, in India, all political parties can sit together whenever it is needed or in case of any emergency. There is no such option in Bangladesh. We are working on achieving national unity and consensus.”