Sarjis Alam, one of the principal coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Bangladesh, has called on students to withdraw from their self-imposed traffic management duties.
He made this appeal during a press conference on Friday (16 August).
Addressing the press, Sarjis Alam warned that appropriate measures would be taken against those causing unrest at Dhanmondi 32, a location historically significant as the site of the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
He criticised recent actions, noting that the practice of forcing individuals to squat as punishment, which originated in 2013 during the Awami League’s crackdown on a Hefazat-e-Islam rally, was being misapplied.
Sarjis Alam clarified that certain incidents that occurred on 15 August, including forced squatting and mobile phone checks, do not reflect the true intentions of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
He further stated that the movement does not oppose anyone laying flowers on 15 August, a day commemorated as National Mourning Day in honour of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members who were assassinated in 1975.
"No one has the right to attack the car of veteran freedom fighter Kader Siddique," Sarjis asserted, adding that any member or coordinator found involved in such acts would be expelled and subject to disciplinary action.
He also alleged that external forces are attempting to incite instability under the guise of counter-revolutionary activities. He speculated that the Awami League and its student wing, the Chhatra League, might have orchestrated some of the controversial events that took place on 15 August in disguise.
Concluding his remarks, the coordinator emphasised that while the movement does not support the state-sponsored observance of National Mourning Day on 15 August, it respects the right of individuals to express their personal grief.
