Staff Correspondent

The Anti-discrimination Student Movement has gained more ground with the participation of people from all strata, including teachers, doctors, planners and artistes, along with ordinary students and their guardians.

Students and mass people on Friday took to the streets across the country as part of their “Prayers and Public Procession of Students and Mass People” programme ignoring incessant rain.

Dhaka

Hundreds of artists and mass people, under the banner of the “Anti-genocide and Repression Artistes’ Society” protested the indiscriminate killing of students and ordinary people in front of Abahani Limited field on Saat Masjid Road in Dhanmondi at 11am.

They demanded disclosure of the exact number of deaths, an investigation into the killings under the UN coordination, trial of killers and the resignation of the government taking responsibility for the killings.

Ignoring the rain, many ordinary citizens including visual artistes, photographers, performance artistes, musicians, poets, writers, researchers, architects, art organisers participated in the rally.

Artists painted red protest paintings on long canvases depicting scenes of bloodshed. Later, a painfully emotional performance art called “Aastha-Anastha” was performed there. Hundreds of people on the streets spontaneously participated in the protest.

Apart from performance art, the musicians presented inspiring songs and recitation artistes performed poems.

Artistes also chanted different slogans in support of the demands of the students. They brought out a procession and announced to hold a protest rally with participation of singers at Rabindra Sorobar in Dhanmondi at 3:00pm on Saturday before ending the day’s programme at Dhanmondi 27.

Cultural group Udichi held a protest gathering in front of the National Press Club in the morning. Udichi leaders said the failure of the government to take a decision on a solution cannot be evaded. The government must take liability.

Earlier, a group of poets and writers under the banner of “Aggrieved Poet and Writers’ Society” formed a human chain in front of Biswa Sahitya Kendra at Bangla Motor in the capital.

Students and teachers of Dhaka Medical College and physicians of various hospitals in Dhaka gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar and expressed their solidarity with the ongoing students’ movement in the morning.

Planners formed a human chain at Bangla Motor. They said there is fear in every step of society, but these students know no fear. They have taken to the streets to protest against injustice and said no more students should be harassed or shot. The human chain called for the trial of the perpetrators who killed students.

Students, teachers and parents gathered at 10am in front of RAJUK Uttara Model College. They took part in protest rallies, demanding justice the killing of students. The air all around resounded with slogans.

A gathering of youth blocked the Science Lab intersection in the capital after Friday’s Juma prayers, as part of the mass procession programme called by the Anti-discrimination Student Movement. Following a few hours of the blockade, they marched to Shahbagh at 4pm.

Students of different colleges and universities in the afternoon took out processions from Baitul Mukarram and Press Club, and demonstrated at Shahbagh.

Besides, a few hundred students demonstrated at the ECB Chattar, chanting slogans for justice in connection to the killings in the quota reform movement during the same period. They also demanded immediate release of the detained students and ordinary people.

Students of East West University and BRAC University took out a procession at Aftabnagar and Rampura at 11:30am. They chanted different fiery slogans.

Mymensingh

In Mymensingh, the Town Hall Mor, Natun Bazar, Ganganir Par, Station area and Krishnachura area witnessed a mass-march of students-common people braving incessant rain in the afternoon.

They chanted that they would not return to their houses until punishment for the killers of more than two hundred people, including students.

Although the members of Police, BGB and Ansar gathered at the Town Hall Mor before the procession was brought out. But they moved from there after the procession began.

Pabna

The students of different educational institutions, including Pabna University of Science and Technology, took to the Dhaka-Pabna highway near the university to realise their nine-point demand.

They chanted different slogans protesting against the killings of the people.

Additional SP of Pabna district Masud Alam said that the students brought out a procession and left the highway in the afternoon.

Jashore

Several hundred students, accompanied by common people, under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, brought out a procession in the town area.

The students of Jashore University of Science and Technology, along with some educational institutions, first gathered at Palbari Mor in Shohortoli at around 3pm.

At that time, the common people also joined them. Later, they brought out a procession though it was raining cats and dogs.

They paraded at Police Lines, Garib Shah Road and some other points.

Rangpur

In Rangpur, the students of different institutions flocked to Begum Rokeya University around 11am. The teachers, guardians, and common people also accompanied them. They then staged a demonstration and later on brought out a procession.

Narayanganj

In Narayanganj, a procession with the participation of students and ordinary people took to the Dhaka-Chattogram highway at Shimrail in Siddhirganj around 3:30pm. They marched on the part of the highway chanting various slogans and left it after vowing to continue the movement.

Kishoreganj

In Kishoreganj, a procession, which was participated in by students and general people, paraded some crucial points in the town at noon and ended at the Shahidi Mosque area, from where it launched.

Cumilla

In Cumilla, the students of Comilla University, Comilla Victoria College, Comilla Government College, Comilla Polytechnic Institute brought out a procession in its city area, confirmed Shiben Biswas, inspector of Kotwali Police Station.

Barishal

In Barishal, several hundred students brought out a procession from the gate of BM College in the city area around 2:00pm.

It paraded at different points and ended at the college gate. After delivering a speech in a short demonstration, they left the area, said police.

Noakhali

In Noakhali, braving rain, the students in hundreds in number paraded Maizdi and Old bus stand of the district town and ended at Zilla School at noon, said police.

Tangail

In Tangail, the agitating students of various educational institutions blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway at Ashekpur around 4pm, halting vehicular movment.

Later, they brought out a procession and ended in front of the Tangail Press Club.

Jhenaidah

In Jhenaidah, a procession and demonstration were held in the district town with the participation of hundreds of students in the afternoon.

Bhola

In Bhola, a procession was brought by students from Dalan Chhattar at about 2pm and ended at Traffic Chattar.

Sirajganj

In Sirajganj, several hundred students gathered at Central Jame Mosque in the district town. The procession was brought from there and ended on SS Road.

Besides, our correspondents reported from different other districts of the country that protesters brought out a procession as part of their “Prayers and Public Procession of Students and Mass People” programme on Friday.