20 July 2024: At least 37 killed amid curfew; Key coordinator Nahid Islam detained
Three coordinators of the movement met with three government ministers and submitted an eight-point list of demands aimed at addressing the crisis
As per a report published on 21 July, 2024, at least 37 were killed across the country on Saturday, 20 July – the first day of curfew amid army deployment.
Fifteen of them were killed in the capital alone. The main points of clashes were in Jatrabari, Uttara, Badda, and Mirpur. Violence was also reported in Mohammadpur.
Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan announced that the curfew would remain in place until the situation returned to normal. The government also declared a two-day general holiday on the 21st and 22nd of July.
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Three coordinators of the movement met with three government ministers and submitted an eight-point list of demands aimed at addressing the recent crisis.
"The curfew will remain in place until the situation returns to normal."
Their demands included launching investigations into the deaths and filing murder cases against those responsible, providing financial assistance and monthly allowances to the victims' families, and guaranteeing a job for one family member of each deceased, as per the parents' wishes.
They also called for the allocation of administrative seats in all public university residential halls, an end to terrorist activities on campuses, the reinstatement of student unions, and the withdrawal of all cases filed against quota reform activists. They also demanded assurances that no student involved in the movement would face political, legal, or academic harassment by university authorities.
Nahid Islam detained
On 20 July midnight, Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators of the quota reform movement, was allegedly picked up from a friend's house in Nandipara.
He claimed that a 'state force' identifying themselves as members of the Detective Branch (DB) was responsible for his abduction.
"My eyes were blindfolded with three to four layers of cloth and I was handcuffed. After a while, I was taken out of the vehicle and led into a room in a house. I was interrogated briefly, and then the mental and physical torture began."
After being released on Sunday, Nahid Islam recounted that when he was taken, there were three to four vehicles parked below the building, including police and BGB cars. He was forced into one of the private cars or microbuses present there.
Speaking to BBC Bangla, he said, "At that time, my eyes were blindfolded with three to four layers of cloth and I was handcuffed. After a while, I was taken out of the vehicle and led into a room in a house. I was interrogated briefly, and then the mental and physical torture began."
"At one point, I lost consciousness. After that, I don't remember anything," he added.
Nahid Islam said that he regained consciousness between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. on Sunday in the Purbachal area. After sunrise, he walked a short distance, took a CNG, and returned home. He was admitted to a hospital on Sunday for treatment.
