ছবি: Photo: Collected
The Revolutionary Student Council has called on President Mohammad Shahabuddin to avoid attending the Central Shaheed Minar on February 21st, the first hour of the day, in protest of his silence during the mass killings in July and August. The group’s leader, Abdul Wahed, made the call during an ongoing sit-in demonstration at the Raju Memorial Statue at Dhaka University on Wednesday, February 19th.
According to Wahed, the president remained silent during the massacre, which claimed the lives of more than two thousand individuals. He further criticized Shahabuddin for his appointment as president, which, according to the council, was facilitated through votes from illegally elected members of parliament under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration. The student leader claimed that, despite the absence of the Prime Minister and the dissolution of the parliament, Shahabuddin remains in office with the backing of vested interests, a situation that he believes does not reflect the will of the people.
Wahed also expressed disappointment that despite widespread calls for his resignation, Shahabuddin has not stepped down. He added that, rather than acting in the interest of the people, the president continues to maintain his position due to the support of entrenched powers. The student organization’s demands are clear: Shahabuddin should not step foot on the Dhaka University campus, the heart of the July revolution, and should refrain from visiting the Shaheed Minar on the historic day dedicated to the martyrs of the language movement.
The protest has been ongoing since February 13th, when the council began their sit-in at the Raju Memorial Statue, calling for the banning of the ruling Awami League and its allied political parties. The sit-in, which was initially started by two leaders from the Dhaka University branch of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Mohammad Omar Faruk and Abu Saeed, has since seen involvement from members of the Revolutionary Student Council.
On February 16th, the family of Rana Talukder, who was killed during the July uprising in Jatrabari, joined the protest in solidarity and called for the continuation of the movement until the Awami League is banned. Following their participation, the hunger strike was called off, but the sit-in has continued.
The ongoing program includes speeches, poetry recitations, screenings of documentaries about the July massacre, and music performances. The protesters aim to keep the momentum going until their demands for political reform are met, and the voices of those who perished in the July and August events are acknowledged.
repoter