Hello everyone. Two years ago a bloody July and the sunrise of a new dawn occurred in Bangladesh. July and August 2024 are an unforgettable chapter in the political and social history of Bangladesh. And just two or three days later, August 5th, the day of historic victory, when a long-standing dictatorial regime came to an end in the face of the unprecedented unity and sacrifice of the country's general student masses. This was not just the end of a movement, but rather a new beginning for the restoration of the country's sovereignty, justice, and democracy.
The movement began with a completely non-violent and rational demand for quota reform. The ordinary students who took to the streets wanted a non-discriminatry system of getting jobs based on merit. They wanted to prove their merit through exams. But the then government ignored these consistent demands of the students and favored maintaining the quota system, and the students' movement was also attacked.
When the student movement intensified, the law enforcement agencies, under the orders of the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, attacked the protesters. Unarmed students were shot indiscriminately on the streets.
Shaheed Abu Sayeed, a student of Rangpur Begum Rokeya University, stood in front of the police bullets with his chest folded and his hands outstretched. The sight of his self-sacrifice stunned the entire nation and ignited the fire of resistance.
To suppress the movement, the government completely shut down the internet service across the country, blocked all means of communication, and imposed a curfew across the country, creating a tense situation across the country.
This uprising was not only a movement to achieve internal rights, but also a movement to protect the country's geographical and political sovereignty. At that time, India was in the process of building a controversial railway corridor through Bangladeshi territory, which was seriously jeopardizing the sovereignty of Bangladesh in the eyes of the common people. As a result of this mass uprising, not only did the dictatorial regime fall, but it was also possible to keep Bangladesh's independence and sovereignty intact by keeping it free from foreign influence.
When the movement to protest against atrocities and discrimination took shape as a single demand, people from all walks of life, workers, professionals, guardians and students stood by the side of the country. On August 5, 2024, the presence of millions of people on the streets of Dhaka and the 'Long March' forced the dictatorial government to resign. The then Prime Minister was forced to leave the country.
Later, based on the expectations of people from all walks of life, the internationally renowned Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement and the international community, was invited to take over the governance of the country. An interim government was formed under his leadership, which began working to restore peace and order in the country.
In a few days, August 5th will be here. This memorable day always reminds us of the strength of the young society, the unity of the people, and solidarity against injustice. Let the main commitment today be to protect this second independence and sovereignty, which was achieved at the sacrifice of hundreds of martyrs, including martyr Abu Sayeed.