Dr Kamal, B Chy, Manna, Fakhrul call for resistance on students

A group of anti-government politicians have condemned the attacks on students agitating for safe roads and urged the people to speak out against the atrocities.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir along with Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, and Nagorik Oikya Convenor Mahmudur Rahman Manna spoke at a programme on the issue in Dhaka on Monday.

Former Bangladesh Bank governor Saleh Uddin Ahmed, Kalyan Party’s Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD’s Abdul Malek Ratan, among others, delivered speeches at the event chaired by pro-BNP professionals’ leader Zafrullah Chowdhury and moderated by Dhaka University teacher Asif Nazrul under the banner of Concerned Citizens’ Society.

“The country is under a sickening reign. Goons have been unleashed on the students. We can term them nothing but goons who are attacking innocent students and people,” Dr Kamal said.    

A group of youths assaulting a photojournalist while they attacked students of schools and colleges agitating for safe roads in Dhanmondi on Sunday.

The lawyer said he was ready to sacrifice his life to free the country from the ‘reign of thugs’.

He also expressed ire over the attacks, saying these undermined Bangabandhu in the month of mourning to mark his assassination.

Former Bangladesh president Badruddoza said, “The students say they want justice. It becomes everyone’s duty to resist when every step of justice turns into misdeed.”

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attends a rally organised by civil-society organisations to express solidarity with student protesters calling for safer roads and condemn attacks on them. Photo: Abdullah Al Momin

“The government won’t understand if we don’t raise our voice in unison, because this government is standing on the power of injustice,” he added. 

Mirza Fakhrul termed the ruling Awami League ‘a monster’ and urged the people to ‘save’ the country’s resources from the government.  

Manna said all should take a vow to ‘repair the state’, which many said was exactly what the students had set out to do.