Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) held a torch procession protesting recent acts of violence across the country.
These include the killing of scrap trader Sohag, 39, allegedly by a Jubo Dal leader near Mitford Hospital in Dhaka, the murder of a suspended Jubo Dal leader in Khulna and an attack on a mosque’s Khatib in Chandpur over alleged religious defamation.
Under the banner of "Jahangirnagar Against Repression" on Saturday at 8:30pm, the torch procession started from the base of the campus Shaheed Minar and paraded through several roads, ending at BotTala, where a rally was held.
The rally was moderated by Sadia Moon, a 48th batch student from the Department of Fine Arts.
During the rally, Anika Tabassum Farabi, a 52nd batch student of the Department of Anthropology, said: “After killing a man, they are jumping on his dead body to show their power. They think it's just another political incident. Can they confidently say that tomorrow they or their family members won’t be killed by extortionists? If not, they must realize where we stand now, a year after the July uprising. The horror we lived through last July has only intensified. We did not see any meaningful results from that movement."
She added: "Those who were afraid back then now consider themselves kings. They believe they can slit tendons and stone people to death if they wish. The absence of justice after such gruesome killings will lead to even more horrific consequences."
She questioned: "Before more lives are lost, ask the government and political parties who gave them such courage and power?”
Sajib Ahmed Jenich, organizer of the Socialist Student Front (Marxist), JU unit, said: “Even after the interim government has taken charge, we still have to protest against enforced disappearances, murders, rapes and extrajudicial killings. This is deeply shameful for the nation."
He further said: "When a murder isn’t acknowledged as a crime and attempts are made to downplay it, criminals feel emboldened to commit more. Sohag was murdered over extortion—that responsibility lies not only with BNP but also equally with the current interim government.”
He added: “The killing of Sohag, the murder of Shamim Molla at JU, the attack on the Khatib in Chandpur, the vandalism of shrines and temples and the attacks on Dhanmondi 32 are all interlinked. We’ve said before—three groups are responsible for violence in this country: the League, Shibir and Chhatra Dal. While earlier student politics-related violence was associated with Chhatra League, now Shibir and Chhatra Dal are proving their involvement in such terror."
He said: "We demand that the interim government immediately take action against these terrorist activities. At the same time, we call upon the public to remain aware and raise their voice against these acts.”