Ongoing student protests demanding quota reform took a wild turn on Tuesday, and popular celebrities from different sectors in the country’s entertainment industry took to social media to express their feelings on the nationwide chaotic situation.
Actors, filmmakers and social media personalities including actors Pori Moni, Tama Mirza, Bubly, Puja Cherry, Jessia Islam, Rukaiya Jahan Chamak, Siam Ahmed, Nasir Uddin Khan, Salman Mohammad Muqtadir, Niloy Alamgir, Khairul Basar, Irfan Sazzad, Iftekhar Rafsan, Raihan Rafi, Asfaque Nipun, Khijir Hayat Khan, Fakhrul Arefeen Khan, Redoan Rony, Shihab Shaheen, cartoonist Morshed Mishu, author-publisher Mohammad Nazimuddin and many others expressed their anger, solidarity and hopefulness regarding the quota reform protests.
Besides, several celebrated music stars including music director Prince Mahmud, lyricist-writer-poet Latiful Islam Shibly, singer Tasrif Khan, Ahmed Hasan Sunny, Zunayed Evan, Sina Hasan, Mac Haque, Ziaur Rahman and others, to name a few; alongside popular bands including Ashes, Indalo, Nemesis, Kaaktaal, Shohojia, Shonar Bangla Circus and many more showcased their support for the protesting students and the deceased amid the chaos of Tuesday.
A particular image of a female bloodied Dhaka University student shivering in fear after being brutally beaten during the quota reform clash went viral on social media. Sharing the image, Pori Moni wrote: "If you remain silent about violence against women, you are a hypocrite."
“Live with backbone, as long as you live,” this was written in a Facebook post on Monday by Abu Sayeed, a student of the English department at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur and one of the organizers of the quota reform movement who was killed on Tuesday during a clash between police and protesters seeking quota reform, on the campus.
Prominent director Ashfaque Nipun reposted that quote, adding: “Let’s live with a backbone as long we live.”
Model and actor Jessia Islam wrote: “I stand with the students of Bangladesh in their protest against the reinstatement of the quota system in government jobs, advocating for a fair and merit-based selection process.”
Singer-musician and Bangla Five vocalist Sina Hasan wrote: “As an artist, I boycott the ‘Joy Bangla’ concert. May I never be invited as an artist or audience to this concert, and if the other members of my band don't agree, I will not hesitate to leave Bangla Five, even though my bandmates do not have that possibility at all.”
YouTuber and social media celebrity Salman Muqtadir, known for his bold personality and sharp-tongued statements, offered necessary accommodation and assistance to protesting and affected students. Screengrabs of him personally helping in such contexts have gone viral and are being appreciated among the netizens.
Another popular YouTuber Iftekhar Rafsan, better known as “Rafsan the Chotobhai,” wrote: "Campuses are supposed to be safe places for the students. Ours have been turned into battlefields which should never have happened in the first place. Unacceptable! This must stop now. We must remember that we are humans first, May Allah protect everyone."
Several of these celebrities have also either changed the profile pictures of their respective profiles and pages or shared cartons-caricatures, in solidarity with the ongoing quota reform protest of the students.
