Students in Chattogram have called for the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) to be banned as a terrorist organisation, accusing the group of involvement in attacks, torture, and killings during the July-August student-people movement.
Thousands of students, including a large number of female participants, gathered at the Chattogram Press Club around 3:00pm on Saturday for a demonstration organised by the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement.
The protest was in response to a midnight procession led by the BCL at Jamal Khan, in support of ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The protesters voiced their demands with chants such as, "Amar Bhai Kobore, Khuni Keno Bharate" (Why is my brother in the grave and the murderer in India?), "Khuni Hasinar Dalalera, Hushiar Sabdhan" (Agents of the killer Hasina, beware), and "Muktijuddher Hatiyar, Gorje Uthuk Arekbar" (Let the weapons of the Liberation War roar once again).
Khan Talat Mahmud Rafy, one of the key coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, addressed the crowd, stating that those responsible for opening fire on protesters during the July-August uprising, killing many, remain free. "We witnessed them chanting slogans in favor of killer Hasina at the High Court, and again at night through the BCL," Rafy said.
"We call on the authorities to swiftly arrest those terrorists who were directly involved in the July uprising and ensure they are appropriately punished," he added.
AAZ/MSU/NMA