DHAKA: Thousands of Bangladeshis rallied in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday in the ‘March for Unity’, commemorating the student-led uprising that ousted longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina five months ago. was done and more than 1000 people who died in the violence were remembered. .
The Students Against Discrimination (SAD) group, which led the protest, abandoned plans to call for changes to the country’s 1972 constitution at the rally, after the interim government announced on Monday that it would prepare a declaration.
The SAD says the ‘July Revolution Declaration’ is necessary to pay tribute to the sacrifices of protesters who died or were injured, and to serve as a document reflecting the aspirations of the people. Some political analysts feared that instability could arise if students tried to change the constitution without a broader consensus.
The press office of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is leading the interim government, said he would seek a national consensus on the ‘July Uprising Declaration’, focusing on unity, state reform and the coup’s broad goals. will He hoped that a declaration would be finalized soon.
On Tuesday, student groups arrived from across the country and families of those killed in the unrest also joined the rally. They carried the national flag and raised slogans against Hasina Wajid.
Addressing the rally, Abul Hasan said that my son Shehryar, who was a student of Class IX, was killed (during the protest). “Our tears will never stop, this pain will never end.”
The protests were initially sparked by opposition to the quota of jobs in the public sector. What started as a student-led movement turned into a wider nationwide revolt against Hasina’s government.
The unrest reached its peak on August 5, when violence forced Hasina to resign and flee to India, before protesters stormed her official residence. More than 1,000 people were killed during the protests, the country’s deadliest period since the 1971 war of independence.
An interim government was formed, tasked with restoring stability and preparing for elections. The interim administration includes two student representatives.
Yunus has said that the elections could be held by the end of 2025.