Bangladesh Students’ Union staged a protest rally and procession at the base of the Raju Sculpture on Dhaka University campus, demanding accountability over the recent surge in child deaths linked to measles.
The protesters called for the trial of Muhammad Yunus and Nurjahan Begum, the nationalization of the healthcare system, and the immediate establishment of field hospitals for children affected by measles.
The rally was chaired by Students' Union President Tamzid Haidar Chanchal and conducted by General Secretary Shimul Kumbhakar. Speakers included Dhaka University unit president Meghmallar Bosu, Jahangirnagar University unit general secretary Faizan Ahmed Orko, Dhaka Metropolitan unit convener Asif Zaman, and Private University unit vice-president KM Abdullah Nishat, among others.
In his closing remarks, central president Tamzid Haidar Chanchal declared, "Healthcare must be fully brought under state ownership, and the commercialization of medicine must be rooted out entirely. The state must take responsibility for the fundamental rights of Bangladesh's people."
Criticizing the role of Ducsu leadership regarding the establishment of a field hospital on the university's central playground, he added, "Healthcare cannot be a business, and the basic rights of the people cannot be sacrificed for the commercial interests of private hospitals."
He urged students and citizens to stand united in the fight to end the commercialization of both education and healthcare.
Dhaka University unit president Meghmallar Bosu pointed out a troubling parallel between the current government and the opposition, noting that neither had shown any meaningful initiative over the child deaths, even in parliamentary sessions. "UNICEF had warned the Yunus government about the measles crisis and the mounting child deaths two months ago, yet neither Yunus nor the former Health Adviser took a single step to prevent the loss of so many young lives," he said. "The Yunus government is the chief architect of this systemic killing — but the present government must also answer for its share of the blame."
Private University unit vice-president KM Abdullah Nishat echoed the sentiment: "Even after so many children have died, we see no urgency from this government. Both the interim and the current administration must own this failure."
Jahangirnagar University unit general secretary Faizan Ahmed Orko reflected, "When one oppressor falls, another rises to take their place — and we cannot seem to break out of this cycle. Just as education has been commercialized, so has healthcare, and that commercialization is one of the central reasons we have lost 350 children."
Dhaka Metropolitan unit convener Asif Zaman added, "The interim government must own its failure on child vaccination, and those responsible must be brought to justice. The government has also visibly failed to provide urgent medical care to children already infected with measles — and the current government cannot wash its hands of this either."
Following the rally, Students' Union activists marched through the campus, chanting slogans against the commercialization of healthcare, hospitals, and medicine. The procession set out from the Raju Sculpture, wound through the Arts Building, Ducsu premises and the university library, before returning to its starting point.
