Inquilab Mancha, a non-political cultural organization comprising former and current students of Dhaka University (DU), held a joint demonstration and torch rally alongside a group of DU students to protest the police assault on Ebtedai madrasa teachers at Shahbagh.
The protest march began on Sunday evening, with a brief speech at the Raju Memorial Sculpture. It later proceeded to Shahbagh where the protesters gathered once again with the teachers.
During the rally, Sharif Osman Bin Hadi said that despite a change in government, the police force's character had not changed.
"Today (Sunday), they attacked our teachers during a peaceful protest. The teachers have not made any unreasonable demands. How, then, did the police gain the courage to charge defenceless teachers with batons?" he asked.
Condemning the attack on the teachers, he called for the immediate nationalization of ebtedai madrasa jobs.
Nurul Kabir Sagir, a student of Dhaka University, claimed that the teachers of madrassas were the most neglected.
He said: "Though the police's uniform has changed, their character remains the same. They continue to act like fascists, just like Hasina."
He announced that if the nationalization of ebtedai madrasa jobs did not happen, they would return to the streets once again.
Law department student Rezwan Rifat said: "The actions taken by the police today (Sunday) are utterly disgraceful. The salary that teachers receive is not enough to sustain their families.”
He added: “We demand a proper investigation into the assault, along with the nationalization of ebtedai madrasa jobs."
