On February 17, SM Shahed Emon, a student coordinator of the July Uprising, posted a detailed post on Facebook about the role of Jamaat-e-Islami’s student organization Islami Chhatra Shibir and Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, who later became the Chief Adviser to the interim government formed after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
জুলাই অভ্যুত্থানে শিবিরের ভূমিকা নিয়ে ছাত্র সমন্বয়ক এস এম শাহেদ ইমন ও হান্নান মাসুদের বক্তব্য
Shahed also mentioned that an embassy—apparently the US Embassy—gave shelter to several student leaders with the help of Al Jazeera reporter Zulkarnain Saer Khan Sami when the movement reached its peak in mid-July, with the Shibir leaders preparing the nine-point charter for demands to force the government to bow down and draw public support.
The same day, another jihadist student leader, Abdul Hannan Masud, revealed the names of the patrons, including Prof Yunus, Drik founder Shahidul Alam, Netra News Editor Tasneem Khalil and Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey, the former editor of Just News BD and founder of Right to Freedom—all linked to the US deep state conspiracy and funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Al Jazeera’s Zulkarnain is also an affiliate of the notorious Organized Crime and Corruption Project Reporting (OCCPR).
Earlier, former Shibir president Mirza Ghalib, an Assistant Professor at Howard University, former Dhaka University Shibir president Abu Shadik Kayem and then the general secretary SM Farhad shared in detail about their roles in newspapers and TV in the last six months. However, no mainstream media has published news about them.
Sarjis Alam, another key coordinator, said that Chhatra Shibir supported the July-August uprising both directly and indirectly by being present on the streets and playing the role of allies in crucial steps.
In addition, another student coordinator Abdul Kader opened up about Shibir’s role in the movement and how it turned into an anti-government movement through the announcement of the nine-point demand. News report on his Facebook post can be accessed here.
Shahed Emon wrote that when the Chhatra League members attacked their procession on July 15, everyone assumed that their program on 16th would be attacked too. That is why Shibir bought around 3,000 green pipes and sticks that were seen in the halls and the Central Shaheed Minar.
Most of the coordinators, including Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud—now advisers, were missing from July 18. Another adviser, Mahfuj Alam, said he gave up and didn’t keep contact till August 3. During this time, Shibir leaders gave safe shelter to Kader, Mahin Sarker, Rifat Rashid, and Abdul Hannan Masud in the embassy with the help of Zulkarnain Saer. It’s assumed that Shahed Emon meant the US embassy as the then ambassador Peter Haas had been working to coordinate the anti-Awami League campaigns for at least two years.
After the intelligence agencies learnt about them, Shibir leaders managed an ambulance to bring them out and keep them in a party hostel in Uttara and Jatrabari areas. During their stay at Shibir-controlled houses, the movement’s statements and programs were determined by Shibir leaders Ali Ahsan Junaid, Sibgatullah Sibga, Abu Shadik Kayem, SM Farhad, Mirza Ghalib and Shishir Monir as well as four former presidents of the Dhaka University wing.
Shahed said after he was shot while protesting in Azimpur area on July 18, the Chhatra Dal activists, who managed festoons, water and sticks, took him to a Shibir den.
He added that Shibir leaders used to talk among themselves in a code language. Shadik Kayem used to deceive the intelligence agents under the name Salman. All the Shibir members used new SIMs to communicate.
The ideas of using red cloth and red profile picture on social media and the Remembering Our Heroes program were decided by Mahin Sarker and Shibir’s Junaid and Rafe Salman Rifat.
He said Shibir used its committees to declare coordination committees across the country after identifying their active members. That is why most of the coordinators outside Dhaka are from Shibir.
The one-point movement was planned on July 23, when the DU unit Shibir’s publicity, media and IT wing started designing posters.
Shahed Emon said he and Abdul Kader were responsible for providing water in Shahbagh and other areas. The then student movement secretary of the Shibir used to buy all the water bottles and juice from Shahbagh. On the other hand, the snacks were brought from Karwan Bazar by Shibir’s student rights affairs secretary.
He added that the nine-point charter was posted on his Facebook by Shibir leaders when he was asleep in a Shibir mess in Jatrabari. Shibir gave Kader a mobile phone.
After six student coordinators were taken to the DB office, the BNP and Jamaat leaders and Abu Shadik Kayem managed the teachers of the white panel to visit the DB office.
Regarding the involvement of Prof Yunus, who was then staying in France, Shahed Emon said Abu Shadik Kayem was the first to contact him via email on August 2 or 3. The email was written by SM Farhad.
Earlier, Prof Yunus urged the international community to stop the deadly violence that wracked his country since students started protesting against civil service hiring rules.
“I urgently call on world leaders and the United Nations to do everything within their powers to end the violence against those who are exercising their rights to protest,” he said in a statement from France on July 22, 2024.
“There must be investigations into the killings that have taken place already,” he added in his first public comments since the unrest began. “Bangladesh has been engulfed in a crisis that only seems to get worse with each passing day,” he said. “High school students have been among the victims.”
Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud gave his version of the key issues on February 17, mentioning the names of some people involved in the movement.
He said the student coordinators established contact with expatriate journalists Tasneem Khalil, Zulkarnain Saer and Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey and other people, and various senior citizens supporting the movement.
He added that they received the first message from Prof Yunus through Ansarey on the evening of August 1.
He said after being chased by intelligence agency members, they left the Kuwait-Maitree Hospital in Uttara and took refuge in the office of an influential international organization with the help of Md Muntasir Rahman. From that office, they gave the first video message on Facebook.
Shahidul Alam, the founder of Drik Gallery, arranged their stay in his friend’s English medium school in Gulshan the following day.
After staying there for three days, Hannan said, they stayed at the house of the CEO of Pathao ride-sharing company, for a day.
From there, through Rezaur Rahman Lenin, the director of a human rights organization, the student coordinators took refuge in the office of an ex-army officer named Wahid at Mirpur DOHS. The experience there gave rise to a little dissatisfaction, he added.
On August 3, they went to the house of a former BNP MP’s son in Gulshan, who is involved in construction business. His wife is an Australian citizen.
From there, they stayed at the Banani DOHS house of a freedom fighter who received the title of Bir Uttam on August 4 and 5.
Read More:
No freedom of press in Bangladesh: Media mum on OHCHR report’s discrepancies
How Prof Yunus, The Daily Star, BSS are tempering OHCHR’s biased report on July-August riot
Yunus-Jamaat’s Jatiya Nagorik Committee warns of civil war unless Awami League is banned
How US State Department spread rumour to fuel Bangladesh’s July uprising
Aynaghor: Poor drama staged by Prof Yunus administration to portray captive cells
Sheikh Hasina decided to resign on August 4th, says Arafat
Press freedom, rule of law key to peacebuilding
English 
বাংলা
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.