Statement by the Bangladesh Awami League Protesting Obstruction of the Historic March 7 Speech, Repression, and Arrests
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March 7 is an unforgettable day in the life of the Bengali nation. The decisive struggle for the establishment of the state of Bangladesh effectively began on March 7, 1971, and concluded on January 10, 1972. The war that began with Bangabandhuâs historic speech on March 7 reached its final culmination with the Father of the Nationâs return to his homeland.
In the past, many military, civilian, and so-called âcivil societyâ governments attempted to erase March 7 from history. However, the spontaneous remembrance of the masses only increased its significance. Today, it has been recognized by UNESCO as part of the âMemory of the Worldâ documentary heritage.
It is deeply regrettable that the current government appears to be following the same path as those previous governments. Treating the playing of Bangabandhuâs historic March 7 speech as a crime, police from Shahbagh Police Station yesterday arrested several students of Dhaka University. Before the arrests, extremists reportedly subjected them to abuse and torture.
Meanwhile, at the house on Dhanmondi Road 32 â which has already been reduced to ruins due to attacks and vandalism by militants â several rickshaw pullers were arrested simply for paying respect to the memory of the Father of the Nation at that historic site. They were later sent to court under cases filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act. In the same way, in different parts of the country, many leaders and activists have faced harassment and mob attacks for the same reason. This raises a serious question: does the country truly have a functioning government?
Regarding such arrests and repression, we would only say this: learn from history. As an established truth of history, March 7 and the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, will remain eternally remembered and continue to shine ever more brightly. No falsehood or distorted history will be able to suppress that truth.
Joy Bangla
Joy Bangabandhu
Long live Bangladesh.âŠ
#Bangladesh #BangladeshCrisis
Bangladesh has been weaponised by terrorists to inflict terror on liberal students deemed as dissenters.
For hours Rahid khan Pavel, a student of Dhaka University, was tortured. Even the attackers used motorbike lock pads and sticks to inflict damage on his body. He was dragged through several places before the attackers left him in front of police station in Shahbagh. And the cops did not arrest any of the attackers. Yet these fanatical activists justified this brazen rights abuse under facade of anti discrimination platform, projected as representative of Gen Z that brought regime change in Bangladesh in 2024. After regime change, this very militia group has been carrying out atrocities including mob killing of dissenters.
#Bangladesh
His name is Pavel, a Philosophy student at Dhaka University (2020â21). An orphan who survives by giving private tuition to 5 students and paying his own living costs. A regular student, not politically active.
Yesterday, after posting the 7 March speech on Facebook, he was taken from a sehri table at the BUET canteen and brutally beaten for hours by members of âStudents Against Discriminationâ terror group, then left at Shahbag Police Station in critical condition.
Those reportedly involved:
âĸ Sardar Nadim Mahmud Shuvo (Philosophy, 2021â22)
âĸ Hasib Al Islam (Sociology, 2020â21)
âĸ Saifullah (2020â21, Muhsin Hall)
âĸ Sarba Mitra Chakma (Sociology, 2022â23)
âĸ And others.
In a tragic incident in Motlob North, Chandpur, a father was brutally beaten to death after protesting the harassment of his daughter. The deceased, Md. Zakir Hossain Miazi (45), passed away on Sunday (March 8) at 5:00 a.m. at Dhaka Medical College Hospital after receiving treatment for 13 days. He is survived by five children, including two sons and three daughters.
Details: https://t.co/yf7qxhdRjf
â¨The Queue at Dhanmondi 27 Shows Who Has Lost Their Breathing Space
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The long line of people waiting to purchase goods from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) at Dhanmondi 27 is not merely a snapshot of the marketplace â it is a stark reflection of the times. Many of those standing in line are clearly from the middle class. People who once managed their households with dignity now find themselves compelled to queue for essential commodities.
When the Bangladesh Awami League was in power, there was no such widespread desperation in the markets â at least, that is what many people are now saying. Food self-sufficiency was not just a slogan; in reality, people felt a minimum level of security. The middle class did not see its sense of stability collapse, and cooking fires in low-income households burned regularly.
Today, the situation has reached a point where even in one of Dhakaâs most developed neighbourhoods, Dhanmondi, people must stand in line seeking relief. It is not difficult to imagine how much deeper the hardship runs in remote villages, where income opportunities are far more limited.
Hunger breaks people. Shame, dignity, social standing â all are overshadowed by the struggle to survive. This scene makes clear that when stability is lost, it is ordinary people who pay the highest price.
Grand speeches about the economy cannot conceal reality. Peopleâs sense of relief, market stability, and access to daily necessities are the true indicators. The line at Dhanmondi 27 raises hard questions about those very indicators.âŠ
#Bangladesh #BangladeshCrisis
Allegations have surfaced on social media claiming that Asif Mahmud provided a large amount of money to the National Citizen Party (NCP). According to the claim, he allegedly contributed around Tk 70 crore to the party, sparking renewed discussion and controversy.
Details: https://t.co/evWLGNt3kP
MP Rumeen Farhana warns BNP of dire consequences for mob attack
Barrister Rumeen Farhana, the independent Member of Parliament for Brahmanbaria-2, has threatened the BNP with dire consequences, as she was obstructed and assaulted by a mob of the local BNP while attempting to pay tribute at the Shaheed Minar in Sarail Upazila during the early hours of Martyrsâ Day and International Mother Language Day.
Details: https://t.co/2odgWedglc
A controversial adviser of the Yunus-led interim government, Khalilur Rahman, alias Roger Rahman, has been picked up by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman as the new foreign minister, triggering concerns about Bangladeshâs sovereignty.
The National Citizen Party (NCP), Yunusâ brainchild and a Jamaat ally, has raised questions over his appointment. On Tuesday, NCP Convener Nahid Islam said Khalilâs appointment was unethical.
Details: https://t.co/1rbBJpf2Us
Police killer Mahdi questioned at Dhaka airport upon deportation from Delhi
Ahmed Reza Hasan Mahdi, a former coordinator of the radical Islamist Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ADSM) and general secretary of its Habiganj district branch, was interrogated by immigration police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport upon his return from New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon.
Details: https://t.co/b4F8WQyQOL
Arrest Police Killer Mahdi Hasan: India must not be a safe haven for terrorists
As tensions simmer across the border in Bangladesh following the violent 2024 anti-Hasina protests, a chilling figure from that chaos has surfaced in India: Ahmed Reza Hasan Mahdi, also known as Mahdi Hasan, the self-confessed killer of a Hindu police officer. Activists and intelligence watchers are raising alarms that Mahdi, a district-level leader of Bangladeshâs Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (SAD), is using Indian soil as a stepping stone to evade justice.
Details: https://t.co/wiNzAvI9mL
How USAID funded extremism by using radical students in Bangladesh
By ABM Sirajul Hossain
Although we sarcastically say that Prothom Alo, The Daily Star, and certain NGOs have been working for the past 25 yearsâon behalf of George Soros and the American deep stateâto prepare a youth-led âcolour revolutionâ or âvelvet revolution,â they have been severely deceived by covert fundamentalist groups and Islamist terrorist youth elements lurking in the shadows. While the sarcasm holds some truth, it is only partial.
Details: https://t.co/NvH1tKtny8
Bangladesh heads to the polls on Feb 12 â but without its largest political party.
The Awami League remains banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act, raising serious questions about the credibility of the election. Human rights groups warn of political repression, minority violence, and the silencing of journalists under the interim regime.
Read here: https://t.co/Wnql7PNCNf
Australia and Western democracies continue funding and engaging with a process many fear is neither free nor inclusive.
Is this democracy â or a dangerous precedent?
@Pallavi_Aus@JitarthJai@DrAmitSarwal@FaiyazBengali@albd1971@dfat@AusHCBangladesh
With only 14 days left until the election, which includes a controversial referendum on constitutional reforms potentially eroding secularism, minority rights leaders have highlighted how violence and intimidation could suppress minority voter turnout.
Details: https://t.co/2IBwONDpXD
Watch the hypocrisy of Jamaatâs Ameer. The moment his tweet sparked backlash, he or his team rushed to claim the account was âhackedâ and has now been ârecovered.â
Funny thing is, the same account kept posting perfectly normal tweets throughout the last 24 hours.
When words backfire, blame the hacker. Classic damage control.
#BangladeshCrisis