The dog days of 2024 ran parallel with the events in Bangladesh. As mid-July rolled in, the apoplectic students reached a fever pitch in the Anti-discrimination Student Movement.
The protesting students held a press briefing on July 13, 2024, once again to emphasise their demands to the government. On July 11, a case was filed against anti-quota protesters on charges of vandalising police vehicles, assaulting police officers, and attacking policemen during the ongoing quota reform movement.
The students argued that the police filed a misleading case against them and called for accountability, and planned to submit a memorandum to then-President Shahabuddin the day after, to demand an emergency parliamentary session to pass laws for rational quota reforms in all grades of government jobs.
Asif Mahmud, a key coordinator of the movement and now Adviser to the interim government, accused the police of provoking students by obstructing their activities. “Misinformation is being spread by filing cases on false and fabricated allegations,” Mahmud asserted.
Criticising the Government’s decision to reinstate the quote system, Nahid Islam, another key coordinator and now-convenor to NCP, had stated, “The government should have entered into discussions with the students from the beginning and arrived at a logical solution.”
“Efforts are being made to suppress the movement through the ruling party’s student organization and the police, but we will not stop until our demands are met. Our student strike will continue indefinitely,” he added.
The student protestors announced a mass rally for the 14th of July, starting in the late morning from Dhaka University’s Central Library. Participants included students from Dhaka University, Jagannath University, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, the seven colleges, and other educational institutions in Dhaka. Students in various districts were also slated to submit memorandums to their respective Deputy Commissioners’ offices.
The then-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal countered the students’ stance regarding the anti-quota movement and remarked that they should stop creating agitation by blocking roads, and instead present their concerns in court.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Branch (DB) chief Additional Commissioner Mohammad Harunur Rashid sent out an ominous warning when questioned by jorunalists, “If anyone thinks he or she will not follow the court or the police, then our law enforcement agencies will take necessary action.”