Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) held a late-night protest march and prayer service to mourn the death of Sharif Osman Hadi and to protest what they described as fascism and foreign domination. After the march, the students took a collective oath to continue their movement.
The programme took place at around 3am on Thursday at the university’s Central Shaheed Minar. During the procession, protesters chanted slogans condemning fascism and opposing what they termed external influence.
Addressing the gathering, Mostafizur Rahman, General Secretary of the Jahangirnagar University unit of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, said students had resisted what he described as a fascist regime and foreign hegemony for the past 15 years. He alleged that thousands of young people had been killed during this period.
He also mentioned, no relationship with India could be acceptable “over the blood of martyrs” and called for all Indian nationals working in Bangladesh, both legally and illegally, to leave the country within 24 hours.
Ahsan Labib, central senior vice-president of Chhatra Shakti, said protesters were no longer willing to shed blood and would instead build organised resistance. He alleged attempts to rehabilitate the Awami League under the pretext of an uprising and warned against legitimising injustice in the name of civility.
He also accused India of exerting proxy political and administrative influence in Bangladesh.
JUCSU vice-president Abdur Rashid Zitu said the protest was held with a pledge to seek justice for Sharif Osman Hadi. He said there would be no place for foreign dominance in Bangladesh and added that Hadi’s killing would not weaken the movement but strengthen it.
He said students would continue their struggle to realise Hadi’s ideals for as long as they lived. The programme concluded with a collective oath and a special prayer for the departed soul of Sharif Osman Hadi.
