The student movement against discrimination will hold a mass gathering at Zero Point in the capital’s Gulistan today, demanding trial of the Awami League.
The students’ platform will begin the programme at 12:00pm in which, it said, all pro-mass uprising political parties and cultural organisations will participate.
Hasnat Abdullah, a key coordinator of the movement, made the announcement on his verified Facebook page, calling on people to observe similar programmes in every district.
The student body came up with the announcement a day after the Awami League urged its leaders and activists to gather at Noor Hossain Chattar (Zero Point) at 3:00pm today to observe the Shaheed Noor Hossain Day.
Noor Hossain, then a 26-year-old leader of Jubo League, was killed in police firing on November 10, 1987, while protesting against the then autocratic rule of Ershad at the Zero Point.
The AL said it will stage the programme to demand restoration of democracy, according to a press release posted on its official Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the interim government has sounded a stern warning against the AL taking to the street.
Terming the AL a “fascist” party, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday said the government will not allow it to hold any protest. “The Awami League in its current form is a fascist party. There is no way this fascist party will be allowed to hold protests in Bangladesh,” he said in a Facebook post.
Alam also warned against any attempts to organise rallies or processions by taking orders from “mass murderer and dictator Sheikh Hasina”. If anyone tries to do so, the law enforcers will deal with it strictly, he said, adding that the interim government will not tolerate violence or any attempt to break public order in the country.
Asif Mahmud, youth and sports adviser, in his verified Facebook account, yesterday said if any members of banned organisations or perpetrators of genocide attempt to hold events, law enforcement will take strict action.
Announcing the mass gathering, Hasnat Abdullah, in his Facebook post, urged all to refrain from resorting to violence and not to create any public sufferings.
“Disguised [Awami] League criminals might carry out vandalism and arson and then shift responsibility onto the students and people. So If you find anyone from the [Awami] League, hand them over to the police,” he wrote.
In another post, Hasnat urged the students of Dhaka College, Ideal College and City College to join what he called the “Apa Domon” (resist Sheikh Hasina) programme.
In another development, the Mirpur unit of the student movement in a statement last night said it will hold a sit-in at Mirpur 10 intersection from 9:30am onwards, and will start, around noon, installing plaques carrying the names of the July uprising martyrs on the walls of the traffic police box there.
Late last night, several hundred students and people gathered at Zero Point and their number was growing.
Witnesses said most of those present there were leaders and activists of the faction of Gono Odhikar Parishad led by Reza Kibria.
Tarek Rahman, joint member secretary of the organisation, said, “We are worried that Sheikh Hasina and her party leaders and activists have conspired to kill students…. No one can trust them. They don’t hesitate to kill people.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police in a statement said it arrested 10 men on charges of trying to ruin Bangladesh’s good relations with the US.
AL President Sheikh Hasina recently directed her party leaders and activists to use the US flag and photos of US president-elect Donald Trump while holding “illegal processions”, said the statement.
Police recovered a large number of “provocative posters, placards with pictures” and money from the possession of the arrestees.
Daily Star