‘Anti Fascist Coalition’ holds protest rally, places six demands

A platform named the ‘Anti Fascist Coalition’ held a protest rally on Monday afternoon in front of the Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University, demanding sweeping reforms and accountability for alleged abuses by the government and law enforcement agencies. 

The platform presented six demands:

1. The police reform process must be fully implemented. If necessary, steps such as changing the name and dress code should be taken to re-establish the police as “friends of the people”. This process must be completed swiftly. As part of the reform, the boat symbol must be removed from the police logo.
2. Legal actions must be taken against members of law enforcement agencies, including the police and RAB, who attacked protestors during the movement, and they should be brought to trial without delay.
3. Officials appointed during the Awami League’s tenure, including secretaries and deputy secretaries, must be dismissed, and contracts of those employed on a contractual basis must be revoked.
4. All cases filed during the protests on charges of disorder must be withdrawn. Those arrested in these cases must be unconditionally released.
5. Recruitment processes initiated during the Awami League’s tenure, but not yet completed, despite security clearance, must be cancelled, and new recruitment processes should begin. All government appointments made in the last 15 years must be re-examined.
6. The Awami League and its affiliated organisations must be permanently banned, and their leaders must be brought to trial for treason and anti-democratic activities.

The platform also accused law enforcement agencies of questionable conduct during and after the July uprising, and implicated members of the Awami League, as well as the police, Ansar and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), in mass killings, although they are not being held accountable.

Writer Mohammad Ishraq Aziz Fahim said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has reportedly instructed not to arrest protesting students, but this directive should be formalised.

He expressed concern that people are still being arrested in connection with mid-August clashes with the police, which undermine the spirit of the movement. He also criticised the fact that the fascist-appointed president has not yet been removed.

Law and Order Secretary Sakhawat Zakaria said, “We have achieved this Bangladesh through the blood of the student populace. Yet, we now see the police attempting to restore old fascism and legitimising mob justice.”

He emphasised the need to restore public trust in the police and implement necessary reforms, as the police uniform now incites fear among people.

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