As a student at a private institution, I have witnessed violence as Chhatra League and police caused damage to students since July 15, 2024.
The protests began as a stand against the quota initiative. The initiative was founded to assist the families of liberation fighters who fought the liberation war in 1971. 30% of public sector positions were reserved for the families of the veterans. However, most independence fighters did not receive or accept it.
So, who is it for? Who reaps its benefits? What about the crooked politicians and their children? Rich families? So many questions were asked. The university student body had only urged that the quota be reformed and everyone be given an equal opportunity to succeed.
The Chhatra League has hurt my peers. Countless students have been injured, and many have been slain. Police were ordered to use rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters. The Chhatra League harmed thousands of students around the country. Only to deter kids from speaking out against injustice.
The critical concern is whether the students are safe or not. For a basic right, we had to spill our blood. Otherwise, our future would remain uncertain. All we wanted was a fair chance, yet thousands of lives have been lost on the streets of our country. Nobody is secure.
Many students want to flee since here we must suffer for fundamental rights. Why stay in a nation where residents must cry for what should only be a given? We all want to prosper in our own country, yet the circumstances push us to consider our futures overseas.
My question to those responsible is: Why do you tell us that we are the nation's future, yet shoot us down when we ask for a fair chance?
Armeen Hossain is an intern at Dhaka Tribune.