Protest Leaders Reject Government Talks

Nahid Islam, a key coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, stated that they have no plans to meet with the government.

"When we were in DB custody, we were offered a proposal to meet with the prime minister. However, we staged a hunger strike in custody to protest the proposal," Nahid told the media today.

Nahid’s comments came after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed party leaders at a meeting at Gono Bhaban last night to sit with the coordinators in an attempt to calm the situation. The prime minister assigned AL presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Joint General Secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim to handle the discussions.

The six key organizers of the quota reform protests, who had been detained by the Detective Branch, were released on Thursday afternoon. The organizers of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, who led the quota reform protests, announced yesterday that they would initiate a nationwide non-cooperation movement tomorrow, protesting the recent killings and pressing their nine-point demand.

They also plan to stage demonstrations across the country today to advocate for their demands. Mahin Sarker, one of the platform’s coordinators, announced the program through a WhatsApp message around 8:00pm yesterday.

The platform urged everyone to join their programs to ensure their success. Their nine-point demand includes an apology from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the resignations of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, Law Minister Anisul Huq, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, and State Minister for Post, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak.