News Flash
DHAKA, Aug 2, 2025 (BSS) - The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement leaders at a mammoth rally at Central Shaheed Minar in the city on August 3 declared one-point demand of stepping down of autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led government.
Nahid Islam, one of the key coordinators of the movement, made the announcement from the rally joined by tens of thousands of people from all walks of life around 5pm, rejecting the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's call for dialogue.
Earlier in that morning, Sheikh Hasina at a meeting with the central leaders of the Peshajibi Somonnoy Parishad at her official Ganabhaban residence said, "The door of Ganabhaban is open. I want to sit with the agitating students of the movement and listen to them. I want no conflict."
However, rejecting Sheikh Hasina's call, Nahid, also former adviser of the current interim government and now NCP chief, had said they were demanding not only the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, but also the entire cabinet. They also demanded bringing Sheikh Hasina under trial for all the killings and abductions during the movement.
Noting that they wanted to develop a political system where autocracy would never return, he urged the people to join the "student-people mass uprising" across the country.
Nahid also declared to form a Jatiya Sangram Parishad comprising people from all walks of life regardless of socio-political identities and urged the people to join their pre-declared all-out non-cooperation movement from August 4.
The rally ended around 6pm, the protesters gathered in the TSC area and blindfolded the Raju Memorial Sculpture with pieces of red cloth. Later, the protesters blocked the Shahbagh intersection around 7pm.
Besides, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, another key-coordinator of the movement, announced 15 points for the people to make the non-cooperation movement successful.
The points were: no one would pay any tax, all would refrain from paying any kind of utility bills, all government and private institutions, offices, courts and mills and factories would remain closed, people would not go to office but collect their salary at the end of the month, educational institutions would remain closed, expatriates would not send any remittance to the country through banking channels, people would boycott all government meetings, seminars and events, port workers would not go to work and not unload any kind of goods, no mills and factories would run in the country, RMG workers would not go to work, public transport would not ply, workers would not go to work, banks would only remain open on every Sunday for urgent transactions, police would only perform their routine duties at their stations, they would not perform any protocol, riot or protest duties, not a single taka would be smuggled out of the country, and no offshore transactions would take place, except BGB and Navy, other forces would not perform duty outside the cantonment, BGB and Navy would be in their barracks and coastal areas, bureaucrats would not go to the secretariat, deputy commissioners (DCs) or upazila officials would not go to their respective offices and luxury goods shops, showrooms, shops, hotels, motels and restaurants would remain closed.
Earlier, on that day, the people started flocking to the Central Shaheed Minar defying rain since morning, carrying the national flag, banners, and placards from across the city while crowd poured over onto the Doyel Chattar in the east, Jagannath Hall in the west, Dhaka Medical College Hospital gate in the south, and Shibbari intersection in the north.
The areas reverberated with the slogan "Dofa Ek, Dabi Ek, Sheikh Hasinar Podotyag (One point, one demand, the resignation of Sheikh Hasina".
Besides, protesters had taken to the streets and blocked different intersections across the capital, including Badda, Rampura and Banashree since morning, demanding justice for the people killed during the quota reform movement. At one stage they blocked the Rampura-Badda road.
The students also blocked the Science Laboratory intersection and Mirpur Road in the afternoon while thousands of students also staged a demonstration at Mirpur-10 roundabout.
The family members of retired military officers also held a rally in the DOHS area in Mirpur, seeking justice for the killings during the protest.
Though members of law enforcement agencies took position across the city, they were hardly seen creating any barriers for the protesters.
However, Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman on that day addressed the army officers as part of the regular activities at the Helmet Auditorium in the army headquarters in the city, putting emphasis on ensuring the safety and security of people's lives, properties and important state institutions in any circumstances.
Noting that the Bangladesh Army is a symbol of the trust of the country's people, he said Bangladesh Army is and will always be with the people for the sake of the country's people and the state.
He, however, urged the army officers to remain aware of various rumors circulating on social media and instructed them to perform duties with utmost honesty and sincerity.
On the same day, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) held a procession in front of the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) in the city and demanded the government's resignation following the killing of four journalists across the country during the quota reform movement.
Besides, students outside the capital also continued their protests on August 3 and blocked different highways across the country cutting off the communication of the capital with the rest parts of the country.
The student protesters blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in the Jatrabari area around 5pm while Jahangirnagar University (JU) students blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar.
Students of several educational institutions including BPATC School and College and Savar Model College joined the demonstration with JU students.
Besides, the protesters in Sylhet, Cumilla, Faridpur, Tangail and Jamalpur were allegedly attacked by police and activists of the then ruling Awami League (AL) and its associate bodies while at least one protester was killed in Gazipur during the protest.
In Chittagong, there was an attack on the residence of the then Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury. During this incident, two cars parked in front of the house were vandalized, and one of them was set on fire. Earlier, around 5:30pm, there was also an attack on the office of Md Mohiuddin Bacchu, the then Member of Parliament from Chittagong-10, located in the Lalkhan Bazar. The office was set on fire during the attack.
In Rangpur, two police officers were temporarily suspended in connection with the death of Abu Sayed, a student at Begum Rokeya University and a key coordinator of the quota reform movement there.
At around 1:30pm in Race Course, Cumilla, leaders and activists of the Chhatra League, Jubo League, and Swechchha Sevak League attacked student movement protesters and opened fire directly at the students.
However, the deposed home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at a press conference on August 3 said that the protests were no longer limited to student protests but rather turned into a political movement.
In Bogra, there were repeated clashes between protesting students and the police as police fired tear-shells, sound grenades, rubber bullets, and shotgun rounds. Several areas of the city, including Satmatha, Circuit House Mor, Romena Afaz Road, Kalibari Mor, Bir Muktijoddha Rezaul Baki Road, and Jailkhana Mor, turned into battlegrounds. At least six students received bullet injuries.
However, 22 US senators and Congress members wrote a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with a call to work with the international community to prevent further deterioration of democracy in Bangladesh and human rights situation.
In the letter dated August 2, 2024, the senators and Congress members made several allegations against the ousted AL government.
