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Published : 11 May 2026, 04:25 PM
Sheikh Tasnim Afroz Emi, former vice-president of Dhaka University’s Shamsun Nahar Hall Students’ Union, has said her decision to play the Mar 7 speech was a "protest against injustice" and vowed not to back down from her stance.
Emi, who has been released on bail in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, told bdnews24.com that she remains convinced she committed no crime and that the state has acted unjustly towards her.
The former general secretary of Slogan 71 platform was detained in front of Shahbagh Police Station on the night of Mar 7 while playing the speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
A Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrates’ court sent her and two others to jail the following day.
Her arrest sparked a heated debate on social media over whether playing the historic speech constitutes a criminal offence.
Later, on Apr 30, a High Court bench of Justice KM Zahid Sarwar and Justice Sheikh Abu Taher granted her bail.
Emi was released from Kashimpur Female’s Central Jail in Gazipur on May 7 after spending two months behind bars.
Emi explained that her programme was organised to protest the "unjust abduction" of a student named Asif Ahmed from in front of Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Hall earlier that afternoon.
Asif, a physics student from the 2018-19 session at Dhaka University, and a microphone operator were detained while playing Bangabandhu’s speech at Chankharpul intersection.
Emi said the Mar 7 speech remained a source of national pride and was never banned.
“It's not something limited to the Awami League alone. It is tied to our Liberation War and freedom fighters. That’s why I felt there should be a strong protest against this.”
She said the programme had been arranged opposite Shahbagh Police Station to demand Asif’s release.
Emi, who had contested in the DUCSU election as the vice-president candidate from the left-backed “Protirodh Parishad” panel, said the organisers only played the speech during the programme and did not deliver any political remarks of their own.
“I never imagined such a peaceful programme could be turned into something so confrontational,” she added.
She alleged that the battery of the rickshaw used in the programme was snatched first, followed by attempts to vandalise the vehicle.
“When I tried to stop them while sitting on the rickshaw, I was dragged inside Shahbagh Police Station,” Emi said. “My younger brother [Abdullah Al] Mamun was brutally assaulted that day. He was left bleeding. I was assaulted too.”
She also alleged that several members of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, led by DUCSU Cultural Affairs Secretary Musaddiq Ali Ibne Mohammad and Social Welfare Secretary AB Zubair, were involved in the attack.
“There were many others too. Someone named Raiyan was there, and Tahmid from Chhatra Shakti…”
Mamun, who had resigned from a Chhatra League hall committee following the July Uprising, was reportedly labelled a "Chhatra League member" to justify the beating.
Expressing anger over the role of police, Emi said officers failed to protect them from the violence and later filed what she called a false case against them.
“There can hardly be a bigger disappointment than this.”
The next day, Shahbagh police filed a case against Emi and two others under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
According to the case statement, the suspects shouted “provocative slogans facing a mosque through loudspeakers” and attempted to reactivate activities of the banned Chhatra League “as part of an anti-government conspiracy”.
They were also charged with obstructing police duty and attempting to snatch Asif from custody.
In response, Emi said she remains indifferent to being "tagged" as part of a banned organisation for standing up for a just cause.
She promised to return to the streets whenever necessary, saying she will seek justice against her attackers through legal channels.
“What they did that day was a criminal offence. We’ll stay in touch with our fellow protesters and their families to ensure justice is served.”
Speaking about her family’s concerns after the incident, Emi said they no longer felt safe letting her go anywhere alone.
“My father’s health has deteriorated badly from worrying about me.”
On her political stance, Emi said: “I have never compromised on the question of the Liberation War, nor with wrongdoing. I will remain firm in this position in the future as well.”
Asked whether she would organise similar programmes again, Emi replied: “I’m someone from the streets. If the time demands it, I’ll return to the streets again and again. I will not leave the streets behind.”
