March for Unity today | The Daily Star

Tuesday, December 31, 2024, 03:20
Last updated on: Tuesday, 31 December 2024, 03:32

Notify student coordinators following government move for declaration on July riot

Staff correspondent

tuesday dec 31 2024 03:20 Last updated on: Tue 31 Dec 2024 03:32

Photo: Naimur Rahman/Star

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Photo: Naimur Rahman/Star

Students Against Discrimination has announced that it will organize a March for Unity program at Central Shaheed Minar today in support of the caretaker government’s initiative to prepare a July Uprising declaration based on national consensus.

As of 2:30 a.m. today, student leaders had not made it clear whether they would formally proclaim the July uprising, as they had announced on Sunday.

“Our sincere appeal to the people of Bangladesh, to spontaneously participate in this program,” Arif Sohel, member secretary of the platform, told reporters after a nearly four-hour meeting at the Banglamotor Students Against Discrimination office in the capital.

Hours after the students made the announcement on Sunday, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters that the government had no involvement in the event to proclaim the student leaders.

However, the interim government said last night that it had taken the initiative to prepare a declaration of the July uprising based on national consensus.

After the government’s announcement, there was uncertainty whether the students would hold their event. Then they started dating.

After 1:30am, Jatiya Nagorik Committee chief organizer Sarjis Alam said he welcomed the government’s decision. “Because if the government does it based on the views of all the spheres involved in the movement to topple the Awami League government, including the political parties, it will be sustainable.”

According to the Press Wing of the Chief Adviser, the declaration will be adopted to strengthen the unity of the people formed by the mass uprising in July, the anti-fascist spirit and the desire to reform the state, UNB reports.

The statement will be drawn up taking into account the views of all political parties, Students Against Discrimination and other student bodies.

It will highlight the prospect of the July uprising, the basis of unity and the aspirations of the people, the press wing says.

The government hopes that this statement will be presented to the nation in a few days.

Earlier, the leaders of Students Against Discrimination announced that they will hold an event, Proclamation of the July Revolution, at Central Shaheed Minar today.

The students and Jatiya Nagorik Committee said they have requested supporters from districts and upazilas to attend the event.

They also invited BNP, Jamaat, Gono Odhikar Porishad, Left parties and civil society members.

People who were injured in the riot, family members of the martyred, as well as doctors, teachers, laborers and garment workers were invited.

Students Against Discrimination, which spearheaded the mass uprising that ousted the Hasina-led government, is to outline a framework for a discrimination-free society.

The declaration should present a vision to ensure equality, human dignity and social justice, the leaders said, adding that they want to recognize people as sovereign entities.

It will be a brief chronology of the series of incidents, starting from the quota reform movement and finally to the fall of the regime.

The Declaration of Independence from the liberation war officially announced on April 17, 1971 had equality, human dignity and social justice as its principles.

According to the leaders, they will narrate the significant events of history including 1947, 1971 and an evaluation of those events.

They will describe various historical events and explain why the aspirations of various movements failed.