Staff Reporter:
A group of students at Dhaka University staged a protest yesterday, demanding the immediate removal of those who they referred to as “allies of the fascist” appointed as new advisers. The protesters, gathered at a human chain in front of the Raju Sculpture, sharply criticized the new advisers’ appointments.
Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, voiced the outrage of the students, recalling the sacrifices made during the recent uprising. “Students shed their blood during the fight for freedom, yet these appointments were made without consulting us,” he declared. “This is a mockery of the students, citizens, and workers. If this continues, you will find yourselves in trouble. Then you will call for students to take to the streets. But this won’t last long—we will not tolerate the rehabilitation of those who have thrived under fascism in any form,” Hasnat said.
He also demanded transparency in the selection process, questioning the credentials of those appointed. “If these appointments were made as part of some compromise, you are deceiving the students and the public,” he warned.
Abdul Kader, coordinator of the student movement, echoed these sentiments. “We agreed to abolish the fascist system when Abu Sayed, Wasim, and Mugdho sacrificed their lives,” he said. “But now, advisers are being appointed without consulting the very stakeholders of the anti-fascist struggle.”
Kader issued a stark warning to authorities: “If you think the revolutionaries have fallen asleep, you are mistaken. We are ready to return to the streets to dismantle the fascist structure once again.
Arif Sohel, secretary of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, condemned the lack of communica-tion with student leaders. “After the uprising, the idea of a revolutionary government emerged from among us. For the sake of national stability, we were told to maintain constitutional continuity,” he ex-plained. “But now, without informing us, fascist allies have been appointed as advisers. If this persists, we won’t hesitate to form a new government. We are ready to spill our blood again to protect the revo-lution of 2024.”
The human chain featured speeches from several student leaders, including Kaniz Fatema, Rafid Hasan Safwan, Rifat Rashid, Tariqul Islam, and Hasib Al Islam. They unanimously called for an immediate reversal of the new adviser appointments, threatening to escalate their protests if their demands are ig-nored.
