By Saiful Islam

Dhaka, July 1, 2025 (BSS) - Hasnat Abdullah, a key coordinator of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, said extensive state pressure and repression even couldn't force them to dialogue as the movement leaders were resolute in point of no return cherishing the stance of no dialogue wading martyrs' blood during July uprising. 

"We were steadfast in point of no return as we were in unwavering determination that we won't join any reconciliatory dialogue stepping in martyrs' blood during July uprising," he said.

Hasnat, now the chief organizer of the southern region of the National Citizens' Party (NCP), was targeted by state forces and was abducted, tortured, and subjected to physical and psychological abuse in custody during the 36th day-long countrywide movement that ended almost 16 years autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina.

This Dhaka University's English department's student was one of the pioneers in the protest movement that earlier emerged just centering reformation of quota in the government jobs, turning to the July uprising where millions of aggrieved people participated opposing barbaric crackdown on unarmed protesters spearheaded by AL cadres and their loyal forces. 

Hasnat was popularly known as student rights activist for his uncompromising stance against any form of injustice as he spearheaded protests times and again against irregularities, corruption, and administrative arbitrariness at the university and was voracious to establish students' rightful demands.

In an exclusive interview to BSS journalist Saiful Islam, he recollected his memories of July uprising enunciating ins and outs of movement that saw at least 1400 deaths and approximately 20000 injuries.

"On July 9, we launched a program 'Bangla Blockade', which was observed not only in Dhaka but also across the country and was widely appreciated by students and the general people," he said.

Hasnat, a popular debater during his Dhaka University life, said the blockade programme continued for two more days. 

"After the 'Bangla Blockade' program, we took a one-day break. On that day, we divided our coordination team in groups and sent them across the country so that we could go ahead through coordination in the universities. As part of that responsibility, I went to Cumilla," he said.

He also said, "I visited Cumilla University and Cumilla Victoria College to talk to the students. I inspected the places where student protests were obstructed by police and gave instructions to the students. At the same time, our coordinators also went to Jagannath University and Jahangirnagar University."
 
During that time, due to the violent crackdown by the deposed Awami League's student wing (Chhatra League) and the police, the movement coordinators, who had been scattered, began traveling to different locations to reestablish coordination of the movement, he said. 

"As a result, the movement started becoming more united and resolute. Students across the country began to organize themselves effectively," Hasnat said.

"We then nominated coordinators on university wise as well, so that the movement couldn't be hijacked leaving blame on some individual students as like in the past," he said.

He also said, "On July 14, we decided to submit a memorandum to the President. Along with students from the University of Dhaka, we marched past the Secretariat via Zero Point to hand over the memorandum to the President. After we returned to our halls on the day, we found out that autocratic Sheikh Hasina had held a press conference at Ganabhaban where she referred to the protesting students as 'descendants of collaborators (Razakars).'"

"Following such a dismissive and insulting remark by Sheikh Hasina, a spontaneous mass outburst erupted that very night at the University of Dhaka. Students poured into the streets with protest slogans in response."

"While students were coming out of their halls on the night of July 14, I was participating in a talk show on Somoy TV. After the show ended and I was heading back to the university, I witnessed how the students from various halls were boiling with anger -- Dhaka was trembling that night with outrage against fascist Sheikh Hasina," Hasnat continued.

He added: "From Amar Ekushey Hall and every hall in the Science Faculty, we immediately brought out processions and gathered at the Raju Sculpture. You may recall that night's iconic procession -- it shook Dhaka and the entire nation with thunderous slogan: 'Who are you? Who am I? Razakar! Razakar!' Who said, Who said, autocrat, autocrat. With this slogan, we took to the streets. That night, even the female students joined the protest spontaneously coming from their halls. Students from Rokeya Hall, Shamsunnahar Hall, Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, and Kuwait Maitree Hall also came out and joined the protest."

He said, "We had slated a programme at the Raju Memorial Sculpture at 12pm on July 15. Chhatra League also announced a counter programme. But we neither cancel nor reschedule our programme".

"When we began marching like the previous days, Chhatra League leaders and activists from Bijoy 71 Hall carried out brutal attacks suddenly on the protesting students. It lasted for a long time. At that time, we saw the then Road Transport and Bridges Minister saying Chhatra League was enough to suppress the movement. In line with the statements, we saw Chhatra League attacked the students indiscriminately. They beat up and injured general students including the female students. I was also a victim of the attack. They beat me up mercilessly," he said.

"Chhatra League leader Shakirul Islam Shakil attacked me in front of the Registrar Building. My left leg was severely injured. They attacked our female students. The footages of the injured female students saddened all conscientious people across the country." 

He said, "Chhatra League thought that by launching the attack on July 15, they could disperse the protesters. But on July 16, even more students gathered at the Shaheed Minar. After everyone assembled, we held a protest march."

"On July 16 at noon, we were holding an online meeting. Nahid Islam, Sarjis Alam, Asif Mahmud, Baker, Hasib, among others, joined the meeting. During the meeting, we received the devastating news that Abu Sayeed had been shot and killed by police in Rangpur. Right then and there, we decided: there would be no more dialogue," he also said.

"On July 17, a funeral in absentia (gayebana janaza) was held at the VC Chattar of Dhaka University. Students and members of anti-fascist political parties were all present at the janaza." 

Hasnat recounted his memories saying security forces continuously tried to force us to stop it. "But despite all the pressure, we stood firm and continued the programme," he said.

"After the janaza, we were targeted by tear gas shells and sound grenades near DU Vice Chancellor's residence as we were carrying the symbolic coffin and moving in a procession towards the Raju Sculpture," he said.

"That day, as you saw, students were attacked by the police. And by 5:00pm, the hall provosts took the most disgraceful role ordering the halls to be vacated. Despite repeated requests, then Vice Chancellor Maksud Kamal ordered the closure of Dhaka University in line with the directive from Ganabhaban. In particular, he tried to suppress the movement and kept pressuring us to withdraw programme," Hasnat said.

"We repeatedly told him that we could not call off the movement without the students' mandate, and we want justice for the repression and torture carried out by Chhatra League. We told him clearly: there is no chance of turning back from this movement now. We demanded that the university must not be shut down. But eventually, we saw that the university was declared closed for an indefinite period," the prominent student leader said.

"Due to the closure of the university halls, we were in a state of uncertainty about what to do next. At that time, I went to my uncle's house in Science Lab. We all became scattered. Meanwhile, the movement began to spread across the entire country. Sarjis Alam also came to my uncle's house. At that time, we were unable to contact Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud over the phone," he said.

During this period, the then Law Minister Anisul Huq and Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury (Nowfel) proposed a dialogue with us.

"We were pressurized by law enforcers to attend a meeting in a certain location. But we refused to take part in the meeting until a collective decision was made by all of us. We told them clearly that unless everyone agreed, we could not participate in any such meeting," he added.

"At that point, they told us, either you go to the meeting willingly, or you'll be picked up from the house. Then they took us to Padma. As soon as we were taken there, three ministers entered the room: the then Law Minister Anisul Huq, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, and State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat," he continued.

"On arrival, they asked us to sit down and hold a meeting with them. We refused, saying that it was not possible for us to have a meeting with them. They kept pressuring us again and again to sit down for a discussion. But we were firm in our refusal to engage in any talks with them," he went on saying.

After waiting for about forty minutes, the three ministers left right in front of us. After that, the law enforcers placed us in a safe house.

Hasnat said, "That day was Thursday night. The following day was Friday. We were not allowed to attend Jummah prayers. Because we refused to meet with the three ministers, we were subjected to individual interrogation throughout the night. I was questioned once, Sarjis was questioned once -- the interrogation continued in phases."

"They told me that Sarjis had agreed to cooperate, and they told Sarjis that I had agreed. They also brought up my family background, mentioning that my father had once lived abroad. They tried various ways to intimidate me by referencing personal and family matters," he said.

He also said, "At one point, I was taken into a kitchen room. Then I realized I wasn't far from the Kakrail Mosque, because a protest procession had come out from there right after Jummah prayers that day. That procession was later dispersed, and I believe it was heading toward Baitul Mukarram. After Jummah, another team came to us -- they were even more aggressive," Hasnat said.

"During this phase of the movement, that was the first time I was physically assaulted by a member of the law enforcement agencies. I was taken into the kitchen and at one point, I was slapped. They told me that my family was under their control, and pressured me to arrange a meeting with Nahid and the other student protesters. That meeting was their only demand," he said.

"On the day of the press conference at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity, we were pressured to say that we were calling off the movement. At that time, we noticed that all the law enforcement personnel present there had mobile phones and cameras in their hands," he added.
 
"After the press conference, I stayed with a friend in Katabon instead of returning to my uncle's house. That night, I returned to my uncle's house and also told Sarjis to come there. Shortly after Nahid Islam was picked up, detectives came to the Science Lab residence and took us away. After picking us up, they drove us around various parts of Dhaka in a vehicle before finally taking us to the detective office," he continued.

Hasnat further said, "There was only one bathroom, and we were compelled to sit in front of it the entire day. There was no proper place to sit or sleep. The entire office was completely cut off: no newspapers, no phones, no TV -- everything was disconnected."

"One officer treated me very harshly. He caused issues with my food and forced me to sit in front of the bathroom all night. One day, our guardians were asked to come. One of my brothers-in-law came to take me home. But they made him sit there until 11pm, and then told him, 'You can leave now. No decision has been made yet,'" he said.

Hasnat said, "One of my seniors, who was also a law enforcer deployed on campus, called me and said, 'Don't be on the front line tomorrow. Take two shirts and leave the house -- we have orders to open fire on you.' After saying this, he broke down into tears. I became very emotional at that moment. I told him, 'Brother, we're actually at a point of no return now.'"

"He told me this during Fajr (dawn prayer) on August 5, warning us not to be at the front line that day."

"On the morning of August 5, it rained. I was supposed to pick up Sarjis Alam from Mohakhali. Asif Mahmud lived in Old Dhaka. I told Sarjis that if it rained, Sheikh Hasina might survive because there was doubt that if it rained, people wouldn't come out on the streets. This thought made me feel very bad, and during that entire movement, I was very disheartened at that moment. Then I called Sakib. They were very young, just in their third year. Since August 2, they had been coming to campus chanting slogans for Sheikh Hasina's downfall. Sakib told me, "Brother, you come. We will go out, rain or shine," Hasnat remembered. 

"Then Sakib, Riyad, and Jamil came. I also went out. I could no longer stay inside. We headed toward Bijoy Sarani. Dhaka was completely silent and deserted. There wasn't a single person around in that area. When we reached the other side of Mohakhali bridge, we turned back because we didn't have the courage to go further as there was no one else there. Then we started heading toward the airport. The road from Mohakhali to Titumir was blocked, so the car couldn't turn. We tried to turn from Banani, but that was blocked too. Then we stopped near the Navy side for a long time," he added.

He also said, "At that time, the internet was shut down for two hours. I thought, 'We are done.' But after a while, when the internet started working again, we heard news that the Army Chief was going to deliver a speech. Around 10:30 to 11:00am, people started coming out. Within just five minutes, a crowd formed from the airport to Mohakhali. People began coming from all directions. We got out of the car, and there were people everywhere. Then we headed toward Ganobhaban."

"News spread that the authoritarian fascist Sheikh Hasina had fled the country. Victory marches started all over country. The country was freed from oppression, torture, and dictatorship that killed democracy. This is how the history of a new victorious Bangladesh was created," Hasnat reminisced with joy and happiness.