Jatiya Chhatra Shakti held a coffin march and solidarity rally at Dhaka University on Friday, demanding justice for the July massacre and paying tribute to the martyrs.
The march commenced after Jummah prayers from the front of Faculty of Social Sciences, adjacent to Dhaka University Central Mosque. The procession paraded through hall area and VC chattar before concluding with a solidarity rally at Raju Memorial Sculpture.
During the programme, participants chanted slogans demanding justice and carried placards with messages including “Demand justice for genocide”, “Bring Sheikh Hasina back and execute the verdict”, and “Sayed-Wasim-Mugdho, the war has not ended”.
Addressing the rally, Jahid Ahsan, central president of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, demanded swift and exemplary punishment for those involved in the July genocide. He further called for state reforms, the strengthening of democratic institutions, and the establishment of a non-discriminatory and accountable state system.
Tahmid Al Mudassir Chowdhury, president of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti DU unit, said 17 July marked the day when the Bengali people raised their voices against 14 years of entrenched fascism.
He said students across the country, including those at Dhaka University, built a resistance against Chhatra League, turning campuses into fortresses to drive out “terrorists”. “The spark of that revolution remains within the Bengali people”, he added.
Expressing solidarity, Nahiduzzaman Shipon, general secretary of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (DU unit), said the bloody history and sacrifices of July cannot be expressed in brief descriptions.
He added that July guided freedom-loving masses and created an open environment in the country, also adding that much like the 1971 Liberation War, the people have established democracy and freedom of speech through their blood.
Other speakers at the rally included members of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, Islami Chhatra Shibir (DU unit), and Islami Shashontantro Chhatra Andolon (DU unit).
