Attempt to counter revolution will lead to ‘extermination’, Sarjis warns AL
The Awami League, the party led by Sheikh Hasina, will ‘be exterminated’ if they try to opt for a counter-revolution against the students and public, warned Sarjis Alam, one of the coordinators of the Anti-discriminatory Students Movement.
The leaders of the fallen party should never confront the protesters if they want to survive, the student movement said.
“We’re telling you, if you [Awami League] try to stage a counter-revolution against the students and people after what you saw on Aug 5, you’ll be exterminated. If you want to maintain your existence, don’t dare to utter a single word against the students and public,” Sarjis said around 11:30am at the sit-in programme at Shahbagh organised as part of the ‘Resistance Week’.
“The fascist government oppressed the people in this country for 16 years, and the students and public revolted against it in unison. If anyone utters the word counter-revolution against them, it means they are announcing something against the people.”
Sarjis demanded Sheikh Hasina be tried in the International Crimes Tribunal for ‘genocide and torture’. “In the last 16 years, we saw that even if a pillar is put up in Bangladesh, one person gets the credit. Because [they said] everything was ordered by her.”
“In that case, all killings that took place in Bangladesh in the last one and a half months, who ordered those? We know that all orders were issued by the killer Hasina. Our clear demand is that we want the trial of the killer Hasina.”
The protesters did not want to ‘use the court as Hasina did,’ the student movement coordinator said. During the Awami League regime, most of the trials were held either for a ‘political reason’ or ‘as revenge’, he said.
“We’ll ensure a trial with international standards that no one in the world can question. In that context, we demand [a trial] in the International Crimes Tribunal. We want the world to see how many people they killed just to cling to power.”
”It’s evident from Joy’s [Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy] statement that they are depending on Modi after becoming detached from people. Joy requested Modi to arrange elections in Bangladesh as soon as possible. Just imagine how disconnected from people they are,” said another coordinator Hasnat Abdullah.
The Anti-discrimination Student Movement announced a week-long ‘Resistance Week’ programme from Tuesday to prevent a ‘counter-revolution by the Awami League’ after their ouster and to push for a 4-point list of demands.
As part of Resistance Week, they announced to hold a ‘complete sit-in’ across the country on Thursday.
The supporters of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement gathered at Shahbagh at 10am on Thursday. But most of the protesters gathered at Dhanmondi Road No. 32.
They have not allowed anyone to approach the house to pay their respects on the anniversary of the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family.
Anyone attempting to bring flowers to lay in front of Bangabandhu’s portrait or identifying themselves as Awami League is being removed from the area. Several people have allegedly been beaten.
