Families of Victims in Bangladesh Protests Present 11 Demands

Dhaka:

Relatives of the individuals deceased in Bangladesh’s student demonstrations on Tuesday put forward 11-point requests, including job provision as a form of rehabilitation, to the upcoming government, which is expected to take over from the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration.

The death toll from the extensive protests that followed the announcement of a quota system in jobs by the Hasina-led government has reached 440, with over 200 casualties occurring in the recent outburst of violence over the weekend as confrontations between law enforcement and predominantly student demonstrators escalated.

A declaration, undersigned by Harun-ur Rashid, the organizer of a proposed “Committee on Families of Injured and Killed in Anti-Discriminatory Student Movement,” mentioned that efforts are being made to gather precise information about the families of the individuals, including students, children, youth, elders, men, and women, who sustained injuries or lost their lives during the unrest.

The requests involve granting Tk2,000-3,000 monthly to all students from early education to Masters level based on age through a “Food-Card” scheme, offering an unemployment stipend of Tk3,000 to job seekers, forming a committee comprised of armed forces and students to investigate the treatment of those hurt in the anti-discrimination student movement, and swiftly rehabilitating the affected families, as reported by the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

The requests also encompass direct government aid to students in private universities, renaming educational institutions established in the name of various members of the Sheikh Hasina family after martyrs like Pilkhana Shaheed army officer, and those who died in different uprisings and anti-discrimination student protests.

The committee demanded the involvement of impartial ex-army and police personnel from UN peacekeeping missions to promptly enhance the prevailing law and order situation, along with enlisting the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and Bangladesh Scouts as their associates.

The demands further included an immediate effort to confiscate all illicit weapons used during the recent unrest, reconsidering the redeployment of deserving and competent officers and employees who were unfairly passed over for promotion or compelled to retire due to mistreatment and bias under the previous regime.

Rapid retrieval of funds from major defaulters and individuals who smuggled money abroad, swift trials in military courts for significant defaulters and money smugglers, and the inclusion of at least one representative from active student families involved in the anti-quota movement, the families of the injured, and those who lost their lives in the interim government were also part of the demands, the statement noted.

The committee extended its sincere condolences to the grieving families of the deceased and injured in the movement and commended the army officers and soldiers across all levels of the armed forces, including the head of the Bangladesh Army.

Meanwhile, in a video announcement from the police headquarters’ media and public relations division on Tuesday, Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun urged leaders of all political parties and the Students Against Discrimination to discourage attacks on police personnel and their facilities.

He mentioned that army personnel have been aiding the police in ensuring their safety.