United News of Bangladesh

 Journalists have given a 48-hour ultimatum demanding justice for the murders of journalists, including Hasan Mehedi of Dhaka Times, who was killed while covering the quota reform movement in the capital's Jatrabari. During a human chain held on Friday afternoon at Karwan Bazar in the capital, speakers made this demand under the banner of 'Demand for Media Workers' Safety.' During the human chain, injured journalists shared their experiences. Photojournalist Shamim Ahmed said, "I was attacked multiple times in Mirpur 10 area. No student attacked me; rather, members of the Chhatra League and Jubo League surrounded and beat me." Jamuna TV's senior reporter Rabbi Siddiqui said, "Where should we general journalists go? Who will ensure our safety? We lost four of our brothers. Many brothers and sisters are injured. Has the state checked on them? They didn’t even feel the need to inquire. The trauma that we media workers carry, we are in constant fear every moment. When will this end?" Criticizing journalist leaders during the human chain, the speakers said, "Our journalist leaders only come to television talk shows and talk about journalists' rights to fulfill their own interests. In reality, they do nothing; rather, they sell out the field journalists. They do nothing in reality to achieve journalists' rights." Dipon Dewan, the joint general secretary of the Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association (CRAB), said, "Those involved in the murder and torture of journalists must be identified and brought to justice within 48 hours. If no effective measures are taken within this stipulated time, media workers will announce strict programs."  

The Anti-discrimination Student Movement has announced their next course of action programmes. Rifat Rashed and Mahin, two coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, made the announcement  on their Facebook page on Friday. In the post, they wrote: protesting the killings of students and people across the country by attacking the peaceful movement and to press the 9-point demand, a protest march has been called across the country on Saturday and a "total non-cooperation" movement for an indefinite period from Sunday. They also urged people from all walks of life to come out in alleys, streets and neighborhoods to make the program a success.

 Fisheries and Livestock Minister Md Abdur Rahman on Friday said no one can go to power by carrying out arson and anarchy as the election is the only way to change power. “If anyone dreams of coming to power through anarchy and arson in Bangladesh, then that dream will be a daydream (fantasy). The election is the only way to power,” he said while addressing a meeting at Boalmari in Faridpur.   Boalmari Upazila Awami League arranged the special extended meeting on the occasion of the national mourning day.   Abdur Rahman, also an AL presidium member, said if anyone wants to go to power, they will have to participate in the next 2029 general election. But no one can come to power by burning metro rail, Padma Bridge and Setu Bhaban, and destroying the government establishments.   He said the 1971 defeated forces destroyed state establishments using the students in the banner of the quota movement.   “It is not the quota movement, but their issue was the movement for the government's fall. They wanted to oust the government. They wanted to grab power through anarchy, using the students as shields and infiltrating the movement,” he added.   The old forces, who had received defeat in 1971, wanted to seize power in a new way, he said, asking AL local activists and leaders from district level to ward level to stay united to resist the movement.   Earlier, the Fisheries Minister released fish fries in several ponds and water bodies in the upazila as amid the National Fisheries Week 2024 is being celebrated from July 30 to August 5, said a press release.    

Two Dhaka courts on Friday granted bail to forty two HSC examinees who were in custody in cases filed in several police stations in the capital centring clashes over quota movement. Additionally, six HSC examinees in Satkhira district have been granted bail.  DB held us forcibly, will continue movement, say six leaders of quota movement after release The Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Rashidul Alam granted bail to 37 students while Chief Judicial Magistrate Mustafizur Rahman granted bail to 5 students, said Rezaul Karim, public relations officer of the Ministry of Law. HSC candidates nationwide announce exam boycott over quota reform protest arrests However, the identity of the students could not be known immediately. A number of cases have been filed across Bangladesh accusing thousands of people over violence, arson and vandalism during the protests. Six quota protest coordinators released from DB custody Police also arrested many students in connection with the movement. Students and people from several platforms are pressing for the release of those detained during and after the quota reform protest.

A 28-year-old man was killed amid clashes between students and police during a rally organised by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Habiganj on Friday afternoon. The victim was identified as Mostak Mia, 28, a resident of Tuk Bazar area in Sylhet district. He worked as a laborer under PDB contractor in Habiganj. Mostak suffered bullet injury during the clashes between the agitating students and the police on Friday afternoon. Later, he succumbed to his injury when he was admitted to Sadar Modern Hospital. Dr. Momin Uddin Chowdhury, resident medical officer (RMO) of Sadar Hospital confirmed the death. Besides, at least 50 people including policemen were injured during the clash between police and anti-discrimination student movement protesters. The agitated students set fire to the district Awami League office. Additionally, they threw stones at the residence of Habiganj-3 constituency lawmaker, Abu Zahir, and burned several motorcycles.  

The 13th International Conference on the Restructuring of the Global Economy (ROGE-2024) - Promoting Sustainability will be held at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, on August 5 and 6. This prestigious academic conference will gather academics, business practitioners, and policymakers from over thirty countries to explore a range of issues, including Business Corporate Governance, the maritime dimension, globalisation, and emerging threats. A notable highlight will be a session focusing on Bangladesh. Rear Admiral Dr. Muhammad Musa, Vice Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Bangladesh, will deliver a keynote address entitled “Sustainable Ocean Economy: Bangladesh's Journey on the Roadmap to a Blue Economy.” Other distinguished keynote speakers include: Prof. Marianne W. Lewis, Dean and Professor of Management, Carl H. Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati, USAProf. David M.J. Graves, Centre of Study for Organised Crime, UKDr. David Holliman, Director of Collaborations and Business Development, University of Buckingham, UKProf. (Dr.) Padmakali Banerjee, Vice Chancellor, IILM University, Gurugram, IndiaProf. (Dr.) Gairik Das, Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata, IndiaProf. (Dr.) Pellegrino Manfra, City University New York, USAProf. Lourdes Casanova, Cornell University, USAProf. Beheruz N. Sethna, Regents’ Professor of Business and President Emeritus of the University of West Georgia (UWG), USAGerald Doyle, Centre for Study of Organised Crime, UK Dr. P.R. Datta, President of the conference and Executive Chair of the Centre for Business & Economic Research (CBER), UK, emphasized the importance of this international gathering in fostering research, scholarship, and professional development. The ROGE-2024 conference will host over 130 participants, including university professors, academics, business professionals, and students. The event promises valuable knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities, enabling attendees to enhance their understanding and expertise. Co-hosted by the Centre for Business & Economic Research (CBER), UK, and Future University in Egypt, the conference will serve as an essential platform for exchanging ideas. The University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world, provides a fitting backdrop for this influential event.

A day after their release from Detective Branch (DB) custody, six coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Students’ Movement issued a joint statement on Friday morning saying that they had been held captive “forcibly” for seven days in the name of “safety”. Urging the country’s students and citizens to take to the streets ignoring the government’s “propaganda and oppression,” they vowed to continue the movement demanding justice for the slain students and other citizens and release of detained innocent people.   The joint statement was signed by coordinators Md Nahid Islam, Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, Asif Mahmud, Nusrat Tabassum and Abu Baker Majumder. “The coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Students’ Movement have been abducted, arrested, tortured and harassed since July 19 mainly to disperse the movement and leadership. In continuation of this, six coordinators were forcibly detained in DB custody for seven days in the name of 'security'. Although the Home Minister and the DB chief talked about security, we were kept in DB custody to isolate us from the movement,” according to the statement. “We wanted guarantee of our freedom of expression. But we were kept in DB custody unconstitutionally and illegally. At first, they talked about security, but later they mentioned the court. We can't leave without a court order,” read the statement. Read: Six quota protest coordinators released from DB custody No one remains safe in the custody of those who kill unarmed students and citizens and the coordinators didn’t want such “false security” from the government. Rather, they wanted justice for their slain brothers and sisters, it said. “We didn’t voluntarily give the video statement circulated from the DB office on withdrawing the movement. No decision on Anti-Discrimination Students’ Movement can come from the DB office. No decision will be taken as final without the participation of all coordinators and agitating students across the country,” according to the statement. “At the DB office, we were forced to sit at the dining table and were filmed. Assuring us that we would be released, our families were called and made to sit for 13 hours, and false statements were made to the media. When our teachers came to meet us, they were not allowed to meet,” it reads. Coordinators Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Abu Baker started a hunger strike at the DB office on July 30, protesting the unjust arrests of coordinators, and arrest and torture of students across the country. Later, Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah and Nusrat Tabassum also started hunger strikes, it said. Read more: Claims of six coordinators ‘coerced into issuing statement’ a baseless rumour: DB Chief Harun Condemning the harassment to them and their families for the past seven days the coordinators said, “In the last seven days, various harassment, torture and drama have been staged with us and our families in the DB office." “We were unjustly detained on the orders of the Home Minister. The government has put the law enforcers face to face with the students and citizens. The government is still continuing its repression of students and arresting and torturing demonstrating students across the country and obstructing peaceful programmes,” it said. On July 26, three coordinators Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Abu Baker Majumder were picked up by DB from Dhaka's Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital. Nahid and Asif had been undergoing treatment at the hospital. Read more: Court grants six-day remand for Former BRACU Teacher and JU student in Setu Bhaban attack case On the following day, coordinators Sarjis and Hasnat Abdullah were forcibly taken to the DB office from Science Lab, said the statement. In the early hours of July 28, Nusrat Tabassum was brought to the DB office from a relative's house.  

In light of recent violence, the government has announced that if any of the detainees are current Higher Secondary Certificate (H.S.C) examinees, they will receive special legal assistance for bail. The government has stipulated that during bail applications, detainees must submit their examination admit cards and relevant documents, according to a Home Ministry press release on Thursday. Additionally, for those student detainees against whom there are no serious accusations, the government will also provide legal aid for bail, it said.

Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) candidates from around a hundred colleges across Bangladesh announced on Wednesday their decision to boycott exams until all people arrested in connection with the quota reform protests are released. The boycott statement was  initiated by students of Notre Dame College and quickly echoed by numerous prestigious institutions, including Viqarunnisa Noon College, Holy Cross College, Dhaka Residential Model College, Ideal School and College, Rajuk Uttara Model College, BAF Shaheen College, Adamjee Cantonment College, Dhaka College, Government Science College, Milestone College, and many more.  Students from other educational institutions across the country have also joined the boycott. The movement stems from widespread dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the quota reform protests. Authorities didn't keep their words, movement to continue: Sarjis Alam A student from Notre Dame College, one of the first institutions to announce the boycott, stated, "We will not sit for our exams while our fellow students and activists are unjustly detained. We stand united in our demand for their immediate release." The boycott has gained momentum rapidly, with statements of support and solidarity pouring in from students across the nation.  Educational authorities and government officials have yet to respond to the boycott announcement. 

In a Facebook post, Sarjis Alam, one of the coordinators of the quota reform movement who was in custody of the Detective Branch till Thursday, has alleged that the authorities promised not to arrest any protesting students or harass them with cases but failed to keep their promise.  "But they did not keep their words. So, this movement will continue until these mass arrests, oppression, and torture are ending," Sarjis Alam wrote in his Facebook post on Thursday afternoon after release from DB custody. He also wrote, "You (law enforcers) attacked my university teachers. Charge baton on my brother (students of schools and colleges). You picked up whoever you wanted. If you can't find the agitator, you have taken their brother from home and threatened their father! Mashroor is an example of this." He added, "You picked up my brothers from the rickshaw and sent them to jail with a case. You beat up my sisters, throwing on the street. What are you thinking? This is how everything will end? Those who joined this movement even once cannot sleep peacefully, fearing arrest. There are many whose families have yet to find them. It should not have happened!" He also wrote that six people can be detained with DB custody for 6 days, but how to detain the entire young generation of Bangladesh? "Corruption, looting, money laundering, abuse of power that has caused anger, how to stop them?" Addressing the policemen as brothers, he further wrote: "The anger of the people of this country is not on you, not on the police. This anger is on your uniforms. Over the years, many people in this country have been repressed and tortured by wearing these uniforms. Leave that dress and come with us, we'll welcome you and embrace you." "Since this path is the path of truth, the path of justice, we are not afraid to face anything. As long as Bangladesh is becoming a safe haven for the agitators, mass arrests, oppression, and torture are ending. Till then, this fight will continue,” he concluded.