How they came to her defence
Some of Hasina’s top aides repeated the same holding lines over the last few weeks. Here is a reminder of what they had to say
Obaidul Quader
AL General Secretary and road transport and bridges minister
12 July
"We call upon the young students not to be abused as political tools. At the final hearing, lawyers in favour of the agitating students have the opportunity to present their arguments further."
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Later in the day, he said: "After this order of the Appellate Division, there is no effectiveness of the judgment of the High Court Division now. So, there is no justification for the students' movement to continue. The evil spirits of the anti-liberation forces have entered this movement"
July 15
At a press briefing at AL president's Dhanmondi political office Quader said, "Chhatra League will give a fitting reply to those student leaders of the quota reform movement who last night labelled themselves Razakars and showed arrogance"
July 17
In a party meeting at the Dhaka district Awami League office in Tejgaon, he said, "There has been an attack on our existence, a threat has been issued. We have to deal with this situation. So get ready at each ward"
25 July
At a meeting with the ward leaders of AL Dhaka North unit, Awami League district office, Tejgaon, Quader said, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will take responsibility for the families of those killed in the recent nationwide mayhem"
26 July
"Those who betrayed and killed people during the Liberation War in 1971 are still traitors... And those who killed people in 1971, 1975, 2004 and 2024 are the same killers," Quader said at a press conference at AL president's Dhanmondi political office, adding that they are BNP-Jamaat men.
2 August
"A notification was issued soon after the court verdict. Still, a vested quarter is trying to gain advantage by playing the government-versus-students game. It carried out destruction capitalising on the students," he said at a press briefing at his Dhanmondi office.
The directive to shoot on sight was misinterpreted and that the order was not given to law enforcers.
3 August
"A malicious group is trying to exploit the situation to drive the country to the brink of disaster. We cannot allow these sinister forces to succeed. We urge students to act responsibly.
"The cadres of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Shibir demonstrated their evil efforts to create an uneasy situation by unleashing violence, vandalism and arson," Quader said at the party president's office in Dhanmondi
Anisul Huq
Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister
16 July
"The government will not bypass the Supreme Court and do anything against it regarding quota reforms"
23 July, press briefing
A gazette notification was issued by the Ministry of Public Administration saying the government has kept 93% government jobs for merit-based recruitment and 5% quota for freedom fighters' children.
"I believe it was a movement for quota reform, which was done properly. The students should now return to their studies. Quota is a matter of policy and it does not need a law."
30 July
"The government has asked the judicial inquiry committee (that was formed on 18 July to investigate the killings of six people in clashes between the protesters on 16 July) to investigate all incidents, including fatalities, that occurred until 21 July"
1 August
"The government is ready to confront any covert activities by the just-banned Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir."
Mohammad A. Arafat
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting
25 July
"We're not referring to the students [as] the terrorists and anarchists. It is the third party, those who intruded into this movement and started doing all this," Arafat said during an interview with Aljazeera.
"We tried our best to de-escalate the tension. Some people are trying to add fuel to the fire, are trying to create a situation where they can take advantage … and topple the government".
1 August
At a press conference at the Secretariat, Arafat said "Police didn't have permission to shoot at the protesters. They can't do it, but in some cases they have broken the law to tackle the situation. We'll investigate these matters and bring them to justice.
"We don't have any complaints against the students. They can't create such mayhem. Our prime minister has already expressed grief over the deaths of the protesters and agreed to accept their demands. These deaths wouldn't have happened if they had been a little more patient"
"They [the third party] tried to cause more casualties to escalate tension so that they can fish in troubled water. But they did not do it directly, rather they used the students as shields and abused their emotions and feelings"
2 August
"Only terrorists will be brought to book based on specific evidence and no innocent students will be harassed"
4 August
"Social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp have been temporarily shut down to prevent violence and casualties."
5 August
'We want to resolve the crisis peacefully through talks, but at the same time, we want to make it clear that if terrorists engage in violence, the law will be enforced"
