On 22 October 2024, the Anti-discrimination Students Movement and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee jointly announced a five-point demand, advocating for sweeping political and constitutional changes to dismantle what they describe as a "fascist political settlement" and replace it with a democratic one.[a]
History
The organisation was created on 1 July 2024. On 8 July 2024, it announced a 65-member committee, comprising 23 coordinators and 42 co-coordinators, to make the movement a success after its creation.[16][17] On 3 August, after the agitation grew in scale, the group formed a 158-member coordination team with students from various educational institutions, of which 49 were coordinators and 109 were co-coordinators.[18][19]
The protesters under the banner of Anti-discrimination Student Movement continuously organised four-point demands on 1 July 2024, in support of civil servicereservation quota reform in Bangladesh. From 2 to 6 July, students of various institutions held protests, human chains, highway blockades, etc. in different parts of the country. On 7 July, the platform called for the "Bangla Blockade", under which students staged demonstrations, marches, civil disobedience and blockades of highways and railways.[21]
The anti-discrimination student movement gained momentum when private university students joined on July 16. In response to the escalating quota reform movement, the government mandated the closure of all educational institutions on July 16, 2024. Subsequently, on July 17th, students residing in dormitories at public universities across the nation, including Dhaka University, were compelled to vacate their accommodations. However, due to the permanent residency of a significant portion of private university students in Dhaka, their presence within the city noticeably increased on July 18th. [23] On this date, a substantial confrontation occurred between law enforcement and students affiliated with BRAC University and East West University in the Rampura area. Simultaneously, students from AIUB, North South University, Independent University, Bangladesh, and UIU staged demonstrations along Kuril Bishwa Road and Pragati Sarani. Concurrently, protests were initiated by students from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh University of Textiles, Southeast University in Mohakhali area and Northern University in the Uttara region.[24][25][26][27]
Protest organised by the Anti-discrimination Students Movement in Dhaka 2024
The group spearheaded a nationwide uprising, advocating for political change and successfully prompting the resignation of the Awami League leadership on August 5, 2024. On 8 August 2024, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, two members of the group were appointed as advisers in the interim government led by Dr Yunus.[28] After the Yunus interim government took responsibility of Bangladesh's administration, the group announced a liaison committee to work on the new political arrangement.[29] On the same day, it announced a new coordination team.[30]
As of August 2024, members of the organisation were suggesting the formation of a political party within a month.[31]
On 22 October 2024, The organisation announced a four-member central convener committee during press conference at the Central Shaheed Minar. Hasnat Abdullah was made convener, Arif Sohel member secretary, Abdul Hannan Masud chief organiser, and Umama Fatema the spokesperson of the committee.[32]
Coordinators
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