Dhaka University (DU) students staged a protest on Thursday night in front of the Vice-Chancellor's residence after Prof Shishir Bhattacharya of the Institute of Modern Languages posted comments on Facebook that were deemed insulting to Islam and the martyrs of the July-August uprising. During the protest, students chanted slogans such as "Break the syndicate of the killers, crush them," "Religious insult will not be tolerated," "Shishir, where are you?" "Insulting the Prophet, we Muslims will not tolerate," and "Boycott the teacher’s association, boycott!" among others. The protesters presented a three-point demand to the Vice-Chancellor, insisting on the dismissal of Shishir and his prosecution for insulting religion, dismantling the current illegal syndicate to form a lawful one, and removing fascist teacher’s associates while taking legal action against them. Dhaka University teachers, staff bring out victory procession Mossadek Ali, a student from the Bangla department, said, “If our three-point demands are not met soon, we will launch a more intense movement. Over the next two days, we will carry out public outreach to garner support for our cause.” Another student, A B Zubayer, said, “When any teacher insults religion, we no longer consider them a teacher but a scoundrel. Shishir Bhattacharya has dared to do this. We demand his resignation and punishment.” He also criticised the teacher’s association, claiming, “The association is trying to rehabilitate fascist forces by electing the Nil Dal. Many fascist allies still hold positions within the teacher’s association. This attempt by the Nil Dal to bring back fascism must be stopped.” Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan joined the protest and assured the students that their demands would be considered legally. Dhaka University lifts ban on Pakistani students Addressing the allegations against Shihir, the VC said, “Any form of religious insult is a despicable act. We cannot tolerate such behaviour. The martyrs of the 24th are revered heroes, and insulting them is a vile act. Legal action will be taken against anyone who engages in such behaviour.” Regarding the syndicate issues, the Niaz said, “Many members of the university’s syndicate have already been removed through legal processes, and the remaining issues will also be resolved in the same manner.” Chhatra Dal activists demonstrate at Dhaka University

Doctors who failed to pass the entrance exam for residency at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on Thursday staged a protest demanding admission. They mobbed the university's Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Mohammad Shahinul Alam, and members of the syndicate during a meeting, alleging that they had been ‘deprived’ under the Awami League government. The protesters are now seeking admission on special consideration. It was reported that 13 doctors who had flunked the MD-MS residency entrance exam created a ruckus outside the meeting room during the syndicate session in the morning. A source at BSMMU confirmed that the situation arose due to tensions between two factions of the Bangladesh Doctors' Association (DAB), which is aligned with the BNP. Eyewitnesses reported that former DAB convener and current chief adviser, Professor Dr. Farhad Halim, along with his supporters, confined the VC and syndicate members to meeting room. Directorate of Consumers' Rights continues crackdown on price hike Following this, supporters of Dr. A.Z.M. Zahid Hassan, a BNP Standing Committee member, arrived at the scene. They chanted slogans against granting admission unlawfully. Eventually, the protesting doctors, who had failed the exam, withdrew the protest. A medical officer, requesting anonymity, said "My elder brother tried three times but could not gain admission. When asked why, he said it was due to discrimination. Only those aligned with the Awami League are being admitted." The protesters were vocal about these grievances during the demonstration. A Special Branch officer stationed outside the syndicate room mentioned, "A meeting is underway inside. There is no blockade. The VC is meeting with the protesting doctors. However, due to security provided by Ansar forces and the Special Branch, we were not allowed to enter the room or speak with the VC." In response, the university’s vice-chancellor, in a phone conversation, explained that a group of medical officers who have been working at BSMMU since 2003-2006 but were unable to participate in the residency exam created a disturbance in the afternoon. They had appeared for the residency exam but failed, and now they are demanding admission under the claim of being 'deprived.' Brig. Gen. Md. Rezaur Rahman, the Director of BSMMU, declined to comment on the matter. Proctor of BSMMU Dr. Sheikh Farhad said “We can provide details after the meeting.”

Hundreds of garment workers from Mahmud Jeans Limited staged a protest on Thursday, blocking the Dhaka-Tangail highway in the Chandra area of Kaliakair upazila, Gazipur, demanding their overdue wages. The demonstration brought traffic to a standstill, leaving commuters stranded for hours. Protest for Chinmoy Krishna’s release: Three cases filed over attack on police The workers took to the streets early in the morning, citing non-payment of their salaries for October. The protest escalated quickly, paralyzing vehicular movement on both sides of the busy highway and causing significant disruptions. Rais Uddin, Officer-in-Charge of Naujor Highway Police Station, confirmed the incident. Police and army personnel were deployed to the scene to manage the situation. Efforts were underway to disperse the protesters and restore traffic flow.

Thousands of workers marched through the Greek capital Athens on Wednesday as part of a 24-hour general strike called by labor unions to protest the rising cost of living and timed to coincide with the government submitting the 2025 budget to Parliament. Public and private sector workers walked off the job as part of the labor action that disrupted public transport and left ferries connecting the Greek islands with the mainland tied up in port. Medical staff at state-run hospitals and teachers were among those who joined the strike, which was called by labor unions to protest the high cost of living and demand collective wage agreements that were scaled back during Greece’s nearly decade-long financial crisis that began in 2010. Around 12,000 protesters marched through central Athens, while another 5,000 demonstrated in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city. “We want to showcase the rage and resentment of salaried employees for what is happening to their income,” said Yannis Panagopoulos, head of the General Confederation of Workers of Greece, the umbrella union representing private sector workers. “We have no other way to be able to cope with the high cost of living other than with an increase to our income. But our incomes remain frozen in the bailout era,” he said. Greece’s financial crisis saw a quarter of the country’s economy wiped out after decades of profligate spending left it locked out of international bond markets. Successive international bailouts came on condition the country implement deeply unpopular reforms that included pension and wage cuts and saw poverty and unemployment rates spiral. Greece has since returned to healthy growth and recently achieved investment-grade status again, but it still retains the highest debt-to-GDP ratio in the European Union. “Greece needs a pay rise,” Esther Lynch, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said Tuesday ahead of the strike. She said she was in Athens “to bring the solidarity greetings from 45 million workers and their trade unions from around Europe.” The European confederation supports “all workers in Greece who are going to come out to demand that pay rise and to demand the genuinely binding collecting agreement to guarantee a fair day's pay for a fair day's work,” she said. Unions have criticized the center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for failing to tackle inflation and housing policies, which have eroded workers’ living standards. Journalists at Greek media outlets held their own 24-hour strike in support on Tuesday, pulling all news broadcasts off the air for the day so they could cover Wednesday’s general strike.

A section of students of Jahangirnagar University on Wednesday locked the university's main gate and staged a sit-in there to protest the death of Afsana Karim Rachi, a first-year student, in a campus accident. Afsana, a marketing department student, died on Tuesday after being hit by a battery-run rickshaw near the arts building of the campus.  Residents protest govt decision on Saint Martin’s tourism The protest is being held by students of 53 batch and the protesters vowed to continue it until the authorities accept their 8-point demands, including punishment to the culprit and ensuring safety of the students on the campus. No vehicle is being allowed to move in and out of the campus during the protest.

A group of frontline workers employed during the COVID-19 pandemic are continuing their protest outside the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), urging the authorities to extend their employment contracts beyond December. The demonstration, which began on November 17, shows no signs of abating as workers call for a clear resolution from authorities. Protesters allege that they are being discarded now that the crisis has subsided, despite their critical role in combating the pandemic. Jahangir Alam, a representative of the DGHS control room and one of the protesters, expressed frustration over the lack of support from authorities. "Our demands are not being accepted. The authorities are directing us to the Ministry, but they are not providing any clear path for us to get there. Without their assistance, we won’t be able to approach the Ministry. Our protest will continue until our demands are met," he said. Dr. Shahriar Mohammad Haque, a junior consultant in anesthesiology and ICU at Munshiganj Sadar Hospital, highlighted the workers’ plight. "Many of us served tirelessly in hospitals during the COVID-19 project. If we are all fired, what will we do? They extended our work period repeatedly during the crisis, but now, when the pandemic is over, they are discarding us," he said. The protesters are calling for recognition of their contributions and permanent positions within the health sector. Standing united, protesters held signs emblazoned with messages such as "Our demands must be met" while chanting slogans urging authorities to acknowledge their grievances.

Several students were injured in an attack allegedly by some staff of Dhaka Education Board when they were staging demonstration protesting the results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations through subject mapping. Witnesses said a group of students under the banner of ‘HSC-Batch 2024’ entered the Dhaka Education Board premises and staged demonstration opposing the HSC results terming it ‘discriminatory’. Four of the injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Protests grip Begum Rokeya University over teasing of female student by outsiders Professor Tapan Kumar Sarkar, Chairman of Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, said the students who failed to pass the examinations were staging protests.  

Students of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur staged protests on the campus late Tuesday night over the teasing of a female student allegedly by some outsiders.     They also blocked the Dhaka-Kurigram road for some time disrupting traffic. Two outsiders harassed a female student near the main gate of Begum Rokeya University on Tuesday evening. Three students from the university’s Mass Communication and Journalism Department, Abdullah Al Mamun, Mostafa Kamal, and Bidhan Roy, protested against the harassment. Student movement to lay siege to High Court on Wed At this time, the two outsiders called 10-15 more people and beat up students Mamun and Mostafa Kamal. With the situation deteriorating more university students from various departments intervened, leading to a clash between the two groups. During the fighting three more university students were injured. In protest, the students blocked the Dhaka-Kurigram road, demanding arrest of the outsiders and justice for the harassment. Later, around 12 am, the two perpetrators were apprehended by the students and handed over to the university administration. The blockade was lifted after the vice-chancellor assured the students that appropriate punishment would be given to those responsible. Students protest market prices, demand Competition Commission resignations Shamsur Rahman Sumon, a student of the university, mentioned that  outsiders from the university neighbourhood  frequently cause disturbances on the campus, including theft and mugging. In the past, these individuals would evade punishment by using political influence, but this time the students were determined to take action, he added. Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Showkat Ali said that the two apprehended outsiders are currently in the custody of the university proctor. They are being interrogated, and discussions have been held with the police and administration. Those responsible must be punished through the law, said VC.

Students on Tuesday staged demonstration early Tuesday protesting the decision of Jatiya Party that had declared Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah, top two key coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, ‘persona no grata’ in Rangpur. The agitated students brought out a procession from the Medical intersection of the city around 3:30 am and ended at the same point after parading different streets including Shaheed Mukhter Elahi Chattar and Check-post. Wrongdoers must be tried: Sarjis Alam The protesters were also found chanting different slogans. Later, they held a rally where the representatives of the student movement were present. During the rally, the speakers threatened to build resistance against the Jatiya Party if the party did not seek apology immediately. They also said the Jatiya Party has no jurisdiction to declare Sarjis and Hasnat as persona non grata. Earlier, Co-Chairman of Jatiya Party and former mayor of Rangpur City Corporation, Md Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa declared them as ‘persona non grata’ in Rangpur until they withdraw their statement about Jatiya Party.  

Police dispersed protesters when they attempted to march towards Subidbazar area of Sylhet city on Wednesday (July 31, 2024) as part of ‘March for Justice’ programme announced by Anti-discrimination Student Movement to press home their 9-point demand. The protesters started taking position at the main gate of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) from 11 am. Police who had taken position there before their arrival obstructed them, said witnesses. Later, more students joined and started chanting slogans. At around 12:30 pm, hundreds of students marched to the city's court point. Read more: Tense situation as protesters hold ‘March for Justice’ demonstration in Chattogram Court premises A clash broke when the protesters tried to move towards Subidbazar and police restored to tear gas shells and sound grenade to disperse them, reports our correspondent from the spot.