July massacre: JU students block Dhaka-Aricha highway demanding arrest, trial of those responsible

Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway today (23 September) demanding the arrest and trial of those responsible for the killings during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement in the July-August period.

The protesters, under the banner "Council for ensuring justice of July mass killings",  gathered in front of the Shaheed Minar and marched along the highway at 4pm, and wrapped up the rally within a half hour.

The demands of the students include identifying the killers and their accomplices, filing cases against them immediately and bringing them under arrest within the next seven days. They also demanded the criminals be tried within the next three months.

Family members of Alif Ahmed Siam and Shraban Gazi, students who were killed on 5 August in Savar, participated in the rally.

Alif's father Bulbul Kabir and Shraban's father Mannan Gazi demanded justice for all those who were killed, including their sons.

Speaking at the rally, Imran Shahriar, a student of JU's marketing department, said, "Those involved in burning people in Ashulia have not been [caught or] tried yet. The people who attacked the campus on 15 July are still roaming free. Within seven days, all murderers should be brought to book and punished…Our uprising is not over yet. If necessary, we will announce a strict programme once again."

Referring to Shamim Molla who was beaten to death on campus on 18 September, another student Shoaib Islam said, "We want the killers to be arrested as soon as possible while the evidence is still fresh."