July 29, 2024: Students return to the streets after forced statement
The July uprising intensified again after the controversial protest recall video, with students rejecting a state-scripted statement
One day after six top coordinators of the quota reform movement were detained and forced to issue a withdrawal statement, the streets of Dhaka once again echoed with the chants of defiant students.
Clashes broke out as police fired stun grenades and teargas to disperse demonstrators who rallied near Shahbagh and Dhaka University, protesting the abduction-style detention of the movement's leadership.
On the night of July 28, a video surfaced on social media, showing the six detained organisers of Students Against Discrimination reading out a scripted statement, announcing the end of the protests.
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"Our main demand was the logical reform of the quota... it has already been fulfilled by the government. We are withdrawing all our programmes from this moment," read Nahid Islam, one of the detained coordinators.
However, protest leaders and students swiftly denounced the statement, calling it coerced.
"The detained coordinators were forced to read out the statement written by the intelligence agencies, and we reject it. Our movement will continue until our nine-point demands, including the resignation of the home minister, are met. We urge the nation not to be misled," said Abdul Qader.
In response, two Supreme Court lawyers, Aynunnahar Siddiqua and Manzur-Al-Matin, filed a petition with the High Court, seeking an immediate order for the release of the six detained and an injunction to stop police from using bullets against protesters.
The detained coordinators were forced to read out the statement written by the intelligence agencies, and we reject it. Our movement will continue until our nine-point demands, including the resignation of the home minister, are met. We urge the nation not to be misled.
The High Court responded with rare sternness, rebuking the Detective Branch over their handling of the matter. "Don't mock the nation," a justice reportedly said in open court.
Meanwhile, DB Chief Harun-or-Rashid tried to justify the detentions, writing on Facebook, "We brought the coordinators to our office to talk, as the movement leaders were feeling insecure… Team DB DMP is determined to ensure the security of the students."
The government also announced plans to initiate a legal ban on Jamaat-Shibir, a move widely seen as an attempt to delegitimise the student movement by linking it with Islamist groups.
Protesters have rejected the narrative, insisting the movement remains secular, student-led, and focused on justice.
