People are getting heated again amid Bangladesh unrest

POBNEWS24, Dhaka May 16, 2025 : Suddenly, political unrest and student protests and conflict in Bangladesh have heated up the streets of Dhaka. The movement of nursing students, the protest of Jagannath University students in front of the residence of the chief advisor for three-point demands, the killing of Dhaka University student Shahriar Alam Samya in Suhrawardy Udyan, the siege of Shahbagh police station demanding the arrest of the real accused, and the mass gathering demanding equality for women on Manik Mia Avenue have all raised questions in the public mind, unrest. The city dwellers are exhausted.
On Friday, students surrounded Shahbagh police station in Dhaka. They also gave a 48-hour ultimatum. This ultimatum is demanding the arrest of the ‘real’ accused involved in the murder of Dhaka University student and Chhatra Dal leader Shahriar Alam Samya.
Samya was killed with a sharp weapon in the Suhrawardy Udyan adjacent to the Dhaka University campus on Tuesday midnight due to an argument over a motorcycle collision. That night, the aggrieved students went to the vice-chancellor’s residence to show their anger. Police have arrested three people so far in the incident.
In the morning, the protesters first gathered in front of the Samya Division Education and Research Institute. From there, they took up position in front of the Raju sculpture under the banner of ‘Bangladesh General Students’ Association’ around 11 am.
Later, around 12 noon, they surrounded Shahbagh police station. At that time, they were seen chanting slogans like ‘We want justice for Samya’s murder’, ‘We want a campus free of outsiders’, ‘We want justice’ etc. The students were seen surrounding Shahbagh police station until the afternoon.
Later, a delegation of teachers and students went inside the police station for discussions. If the real culprit is not arrested within 48 hours, they will announce the next program on Sunday. The students announced that this non-violent movement will take a different form if the real culprit is not arrested within 48 hours.
On the other hand, a group of students of Jagannath University have been on a mass hunger strike after a sit-in program for about 50 hours at Kakrail intersection in Dhaka on three demands. They started the hunger strike at 4 pm on Friday.
Manjur Morshed, Dean of the Faculty of Business of Jagannath University, announced the start of the mass hunger strike at 3:50 pm. He said, ‘Our mass hunger strike begins from now. Our mass hunger strike program will continue until our demands are met.’
Shortly after this, about 50 students started the hunger strike at 4 pm. They observed a minute’s silence to protest the police attack on teachers and students at the beginning of the mass hunger strike.
Students at Jagannath University have been protesting for quite some time on three demands. Their demands are to implement housing scholarships for 70 percent of students from the 2025-26 fiscal year until the housing system is ensured, to approve the proposed full budget of the university for the 2025-26 fiscal year, and to implement the work of the university’s second campus under the priority project after approving it in the next ECNEC meeting.
At a press conference at 12:45 pm on Thursday, a new program was announced for a rally of former and current students and teachers at 10 am today. Later, the announcement was made and the time of the rally was postponed. Accordingly, the rally began at around 2:15 pm today after the holy Friday prayers. Along with teachers and students, alumni of various departments of Jagannath University joined the rally.
On the other hand, the ‘Narir Dak Maitree Yatra’ program has started on Manik Mia Avenue in the capital to demand equality.
This program started at around 3:30 pm today, Friday. The national anthem was played at the beginning of the program. Progressive women, workers, students, teachers, cultural activists, professionals and people from different classes and professions have participated in this program with the slogan ‘We demand equality’.
Various organizations have expressed solidarity with this program. These include Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Biplobi Chhatra Maitree, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Nari Mukti Kendra, Udichi Shilpi Gosthi, Hill Women’s Federation, Adivasi Union, Garments Sramik Mukti Andolan, Vigyan Andolan Mancha, Samajtantrik Mahila Forum, Bangladesh Nari Jote, Nari Samhati, Chhatra Front (Marxist), Archers, Sramik Adhikar Andolan, etc.
On the other hand, “Political analysts believe that Sheikh Hasina had to go to India due to a student uprising. Now students have taken up a movement against the Yunus government on various issues. Are the anti-discrimination activists who drove Sheikh Hasina from Bangladesh to India doing well now? Their acceptance is waning day by day. The anti-discrimination coordinators are involved in various types of corruption. The coordinators of the NCP have formed a new party, and the acceptance of this party is at an all-time low. Due to which the coordinators are facing arrest in various places. Sarjis and Abdullah Mahfuz have been beaten up by the people. In view of the demands of this party, which was formed under the auspices of American communism, the Awami League, the bearer of the spirit of 1971, was banned. BNP is also a big problem for them.” Sadeka Halim, a former professor of Dhaka University and former VC of Jagannath University, was speaking these words in a private meeting with Ganashakti. He said, “The people of the country are not well now. The ordinary, working-class people are not well. They are complaining and saying that the previous Hasina government was good.”