Students, citizens demand including 1947, 1971, 2024 events in July proclamation

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the National Citizens' Committee have demanded seven issues be included in the July uprising proclamation, including a clear continuity of events from the 1947 Pakistan movement, through the 1971 Liberation War, and the 2024 July uprising.

Activists of both bodies made the disclosure while giving out leaflets in the Banglamotor area of the capital this evening, stating that the campaign will continue in every district of the country from tomorrow.

The leaflet states that the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement must be recognised in the proclamation mentioning how it led the people of Bangladesh to break the chains of the previous fascist regime. 

The people demand a society and state based on rights, justice, and dignity. A vision of a state that is democratic and free from discrimination, where all basic rights, including the right to vote, are protected, and state institutions are independent and impartial, said both organisations.

It further stated that the proclamation will express the commitment to form Bangladesh as a democratic republic instead of the one-party rule of 1972-75 and the political settlement of "1/11".

They also demanded that the government present the proclamation to the public within 15 days. 

Among the other six issues are state recognition of martyrs in the 2024 July uprising and a commitment to provide free, state-sponsored medical treatment for the injured in a timely manner; the leadership of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement should be explicitly mentioned in the declaration; a firm commitment must be made to ensure the trial of the killers and their collaborators involved in the uprising.

Additionally, the declaration should express a commitment to abolishing the fascist constitutional system and creating a completely new democratic constitution through an elected constituent assembly; the new political arrangement should prioritise the elimination of all forms of discrimination and build the state structure based on citizens' identity, the organisations said. 

It also mentioned that the primary goal of the July uprising was not just to overthrow the Awami League's fascist regime but also to abolish the discrimination, exploitation, and a fascist political system that has prevailed for the past 53 years. 

Therefore, a commitment to comprehensive reforms to dismantle the existing fascist state structure must be ascertained, the students leaders and the committee said.