Students from high school to university all against Awami League, why: Shujan
The representatives of the civil society feel the incident centering the quota reform movement is an outburst of the accumulated anger of the people.
They said people are deprived of fundamental rights like voting rights and the rule of law and now this has become a movement for realising rights.
The civil society members said this at a press conference at the Sagor-Runi auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital on Thursday.
Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) organised the press conference demanding a solution to the stalemate emerged centering the quota reform movement.
SHUJAN's secretary Badiul Alam Majumder said Awami League won a landslide victory with the support of the young generation in 2009. How this happened, what happened that students from high schools to universities are against Awami League, he wondered.
If these rights are not established, symptoms of the disease will not be treated, the SHUJAN secretary said, adding, "This is now a movement of realising rights."
Mentioning the quota movement as a symptom of disease, Badiul Alam Majumder said, "The disease is more critical. The complex and devastating disease is that the people, who are not close to the ruling party, are deprived of all types of facilities and benefits. People are being deprived of fundamental rights like voting rights and the rule of law. These rights are linked to each other. If someone is deprived of one of these rights, he or she is deprived of another."
If these rights are not established, symptoms of the disease will not be treated, the SHUJAN secretary said, adding, "This is now a movement of realising rights."
Badiul Alam Majumder said the current crisis requires a logical solution through peaceful discussions. He said these misdeeds have to be brought to book and these have to be solved politically.
The word 'justice' will be erased from the country
Saying that there are no sincere or effective steps to resolve the crisis, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, "The government is trying to use a band-aid. But the scar the nation has borne is deep. The incident centering the movement of the students has affected the entire society. The people cannot be find relief through the law enforcing agencies."
Pointing out that there is no scope to pardon so many killings, Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, "If justice is not done this time, the word 'justice' will be erased from Bangladesh. People from their respective places have to demand justice. There is no scope to keep silent or to become peaceful until justice involving international community, United Nations through transparent manner is ensured."
Movement of students won't go in vain
Professor at Dhaka University, Robaet Ferdous, remarked that a mass uprising has taken place centering the quota reform movement.
He said the government has been defeated morally and politically in this movement. 61 people died in the mass-uprising of 1969 while four times that number have died in the mass uprising in the movement of 2024, he said adding women, children, physicians, teachers--people from all professions have died.
Once we would say that Ershad's hands are tainted with the blood of students, history says the movement of students does not go in vain. This movement will also not go in vain. Vibrant youths have lost lives."
Robaet Ferdous said, "Once we would say that Ershad's hands are tainted with the blood of students, history says the movement of students does not go in vain. This movement will also not go in vain. Vibrant youths have lost lives."
Robaet Ferdous said, "Many wonder if BNP-Jamaat come up if Awami League goes? Awami League has failed, we have also seen BNP. We have seen the Jamaat-Jatiya Party. If all the political parties are hated, then all have to be rejected. A new constitution has to be written."
Use of force will create more discontent
Nagorik Uddyog's Zakir Hossain said, "Those who rule us have the least competence to rule. They have failed. The administration they are running has no moral ground. They organised three elections through an 'innovative system', they have violated the constitution. The people are in a suffocating situation. People are being humiliated at every step."
Terming the statement of police the centering the quota reform movement as 'despicable', Zakir Hossain said the police said they have not killed anybody, the criminals were the killers. "We have seen photos and videos. The police investigation will not bring any results. The crisis needs a political solution," he added.
SHUJAN central coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarker read out the written statement.