Md Rashed Khan, general secretary of Gono Odhikar Parishad, has called for a new hall at Jagannath University (JnU) to be named after Biswajit, a tailor who was killed in 2012.
Rashed said: “Biswajit was a tailor who worked in front of Jagannath University. Although he identified himself as Hindu, he was wrongly labelled as a member of Shibir and was murdered. If you want to preserve history and honour his memory, you can consider naming a new hall after him.”
He madet these remarks during a seminar titled “The Role of Media and Political Leadership in Restoring Democracy”, organised by the Jagannath University Journalists’ Association (JnUJA) on Friday.
He added that the students of Jagannath University had carried out a logical and justified movement, and political leaders stood in solidarity with it.
“We wanted to ensure that your movement wasn’t discredited. It has been a success. If you wish, you can also include martyr tailor Biswajit as part of your legacy,” he said.
Referring to the recent anti-government protests, Rashed said: “It was not a planned movement. It was a collective resistance of students, workers, professionals, and people from all walks of life. There is no room to call political leadership weak or failed. In fact, 90% of the contribution to the July movement came from politicians.”
He stressed the need for systemic reform, saying: “Simply changing the government is not enough. We must also reform the governing structure. That is the true demand of the July martyrs.”
Commenting on the state of student politics, he said: “Students no longer accept politics based on guest rooms, extortion, and domination. We must practise knowledge-based, logical politics, and build a political culture that serves students’ interests.”
As for the media, he remarked: “The former information adviser failed to bring about any media reforms. He may have been a hero of the mass uprising, but we still see no sign of reform in the media sector. Hasina is gone, but her associates remain in power.”
The seminar was presided over by Imran Hossain, president of JnUJA, and moderated by its secretary.
Also present at the event were Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, central joint secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP); Shafiqul Islam Masud, Dhaka south secretary of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami; Md Nizamul Haque Naeem, general secretary of Bangladesh Development Party; Ali Ahsan Zunaid, convener of United Peoples Bangladesh; and Monira Sharmin, joint convener of Jatiya Nagorik Party.
Among journalist leaders present were Kader Gani Chowdhury, secretary general of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, and Shahidul Islam, president of Dhaka Union of Journalists, along with other media leaders.
Leaders and activists from various political, social, and human rights organisations at the university also attended the program.
