Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam Rakib has said his party men gave their lives during the anti-quota movement to liberate the country from the dictatorial rule of Sheikh Hasina.
“Sheikha Hasina established a dictatorial regime with the help of neighboring countries. We gave our lives under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement to liberate the country from there,” he said.
Rakib was speaking at a sit-in program at the central Shaheed Minar on Thursday, demanding the trial of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina for the alleged killing of students.
The event, which began at 10am, saw a significant turnout from Chhatra Dal leaders and activists.
Rakib said that the Chhatra Dal was participating in the week-long program supporting the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
He said: “We are with them as in the past. We demand justice over the deaths of the students who were martyred in the movement and the leaders and activists of the Chhatra Dal who have gone missing and murdered in the past 15 years.”
Rakib said Chhatra League is hiding their identity and raising the demand of banning student politics on campus under the banner of ordinary students. “We will resist anyone demanding the ban on student politics.”
He criticized the Chhatra League, accusing them of concealing their identity while pushing for a ban on student politics under the guise of representing ordinary students.
Thousands of Chhatra Dal leaders and members gathered at Shaheed Minar, including representatives from the central committee, Dhaka University unit, Jagannath University unit, and various other educational institutions across Dhaka.
The program commenced with the performance of the national anthem, followed by a minute of silence to honor those killed in the quota reform movement.
Participants also included members from private universities and branches in the Dhaka Metropolitan area.
The demonstration was led by Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir, who chanted slogans demanding justice for the alleged crimes committed by the Hasina administration.
The protesters called for Sheikh Hasina and her accomplices to be held accountable for the loss of lives in recent violence.
Dhaka University Chhatra Dal President Ganesh Chandra Roy Shahosh and General Secretary Nahiduzzaman Shipon, along with other leaders and activists from various units, were present at the sit-in.
During the sit-in, Chhatra Dal leaders accused Sheikh Hasina of brutally suppressing opposition movements, including the 2009 BDR rebellion, the October 28, 2006 Logi Boitha rampage, the 2013 Shapla Square protests, and the recent movements for quota reform and safe roads.
They demanded a proper trial for Hasina and her associates, condemning the use of state forces to silence dissent.
Notably, no police presence was observed at Shaheed Minar or its surrounding areas, which is unusual for BNP-affiliated programs.
Meanwhile, several hundred BNP activists gathered in front of the party's central office in Nayapaltan, where a rally was scheduled for 3pm, with BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expected to speak.
BNP Dhaka City South Convenor Rafiqul Islam Majnu led protests at Baitul Mukarram, where activists and workers from the BNP's Dhaka Metropolitan unit and its affiliates held sit-ins. They demanded the arrest and trial of Sheikh Hasina, accusing her of conducting a brutal genocide in Bangladesh.
Similar protests and marches were held in other parts of Dhaka, including Malibagh, Mouchak, Shahjahanpur, and Kaptan Bazar, as well as across the country.
