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A wave of protests has swept different parts of the country, particularly several university campuses, following a viral video which showed that some Jubo Dal leaders were beating businessman Md Sohag severely near the capital's Mitford Hospital over alleged extortion.
On Friday night, students of Dhaka University took out a procession, chanting slogans and condemning acts of extortion and criminal activities committed allegedly by BNP and its associate organisations.
"We tried to reform the country after 5 August, but BNP is the main obstacle to reforms. They have turned the country into a sanctuary for extortionists, killers, and rapists," said AB Zubayer, a key student activist.
Students of BUET also staged a demonstration, decried the murder and called for accountability and transparency within political parties, and the government.
At about 9:00 pm, leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation started a candlelit procession from Raju Memorial Sculpture. Saikat Arif, General Secretary of the organisation, voiced concern over the rising criminal offenses committed allegedly by BNP leaders and activists. He urged BNP's top leadership to take immediate steps to curb such crimes.
At about 10:00 pm, Dhaka University's Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) unit staged a protest, demanding justice for Sohag. The leaders denounced the murder and called for just punishment for the perpetrators, regardless of their political affiliation. At the same time, Islami Chhatra Andolon staged a protest rally in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture, condemning the brutality of the incident.
On the other hand, students of Eden Mohila College launched a procession around 12:00 midnight, issuing an ultimatum for politically affiliated students to leave residential halls.
On Saturday, leaders and activists of Bangladesh Student Rights Council, and Bangladesh Democratic Students' Union, an alliance of seven leftist student organisations, demonstrated on the DU campus, while Anti-Discrimination Student Movement held a protest at Shahbagh intersection at 7:00 pm.
Meanwhile, numerous leaders and activists have resigned from JCD and Jubo Dal, expressing outrage at the incident. So far, around 30 resignations have been reported. Among those who resigned are Abu Sayeed, activist of JCD Surja Sen Hall unit; and Lisanul Alam Lisan, Secretary of JCD at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology.
Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatra Shibir, NCP, and students from various private and public universities also staged protests on the day.
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