The 16th July last year was marked with fierce clashes between Bangladesh Chhatra League ((now banned student wing of fascist Awami League), police and anti-discrimination student movement protesters across the country. Photo : Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

DHAKA, July 15, 2025 (BSS) - The 16th July last year was marked with fierce clashes between Bangladesh Chhatra League ((now banned student wing of fascist Awami League), police and anti-discrimination student movement protesters across the country, leaving at least six people, including Abu Sayeed, dead while government deployed Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in six districts to resist the movement.

The government declared closure of all universities, colleges and secondary schools across the country and suspended HSC and equivalent examination of July 18, asking the university students to vacate halls.

As the quota reform protesters were staging demonstrations nationwide on July 16 protesting Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists' attacks on Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University students on July 15 and early on July 16, BCL men again attacked on the protesters across the country while police opened fire at BRUR killing its student Abu Sayeed.

On the day students from private universities and colleges also joined the protest across the country.

According to Amnesty International, by the afternoon of July 16, police fired tear gas and charged with batons drawn at protesters in front of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) where students had gathered, led by Abu Sayeed, a protest coordinator.

Abu Sayeed, a student of the English department at the BRUR, stood his ground. As the police closed in, he spread his arms wide open, in a moment of defiance when at least two police officers discharged 12-gauge shotguns directly towards him from across the street - a distance of merely 15 meters.

The video of Sayeed's brutal killing sparked outrage across the country and encouraged the people from all walks of life to take to the streets, turning the 'quota reform movement' into a massive uprising against the Awami League government.

Besides, five more people, including two students, were killed in Dhaka and Chattogram and several hundred sustained injuries on the same day as the police and BCL activists jointly launched a heavy crackdown on the anti-discrimination student movement protesters across the country.

Two youths were killed during clashes in Dhaka College and Science Lab areas between the BCL men and protesters. They were identified as Md Shajahan ,24, a hawker who had a makeshift shop in front of Balaka Cinema Hall, and Sabuj Ali ,25, son of Badsha Ali and Surja Banu, of Nilphamari Sadar.

On the day, the anti-discrimination student protesters in the capital blocked key intersections in the capital, including Jatrabari, Science Lab, Pragati Sarani, Shantinagar, Badda, Motijheel Shapla Chattar, Tantibazar, Uttara, and Beribandh, bringing traffic to a halt.

They also blocked rail lines in Mohakhali for more than six hours, suspending communications between Dhaka and most parts of the country. The demonstrators also obstructed Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Sylhet, Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Mymensingh, and Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highways.

Though Chhatra League and quota protesters held separate rallies at separate places on DU campus without any major incident, the Dhaka College and Science Lab areas turned into a battlefield as the quota protesters made stiff resistance against Chhatra League activists' attack on them.

Violence in the city's Chankharpul, Rayshahebbazar of Old Dhaka, Bhatara on Pragati Sarani, Mirpur-10, and Farmgate areas were also reported.

A clash also broke out between students of some private universities, including Dhaka International University, United International University and American International University, Bangladesh, and activists of Chhatra League in Bhatara area in the city.

Besides, three people, including two students, were killed in clashes between the protesters and BCL men in Chattogram.

The deceased were identified as Wasim Akram ,24, a student of Chittagong College and a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader, Faisal Ahmed ,24, student of management at the Omargani MES College, and Md Faruk ,32, an employee of a furniture shop.

Hasnat Abdullah, one of the key coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, termed the violence took place across the country on July 16 as state-sponsored attacks on the protesters.

Besides, Asif Mahmud, another key coordinator, announced a coffin procession and a gayebana janaza (funeral without the body) at Raju Memorial Sculpture on Dhaka University campus at 2pm on July 17.

As the situation deteriorated significantly across the country following the six deaths on the day, the government deployed BGB in Dhaka, Chattogram, Bogura, Rangpur, Rajshahi and Gazipur.

Besides, it closed secondary schools and colleges for a sine die and suspended the HSC and equivalent exams scheduled for July 18.

On the night of July 16, the University Grants Commission, referring to an education ministry decision, declared all public and private universities and their affiliated colleges closed until further notice and asked the students to vacate their halls.

Besides, the leaders and activists of the then ruling Awami League and its associate bodies were instructed to take positions at their respective unit offices across the country from early morning of July, saying that the party wanted to face the student movement politically.

On the other hand, amid the movement, the government filed a leave-to-appeal petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on July 16 challenging the High Court judgment.

The Attorney General's office submitted the petition to the apex court seeking a "leave" to scrap the HC verdict, saying whether the provision of quotas in the public service is kept or not is a policy decision of the government and the court cannot interfere with this policy decision.

On the same day, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir urged the country's people and all political parties to stand beside the students who were staging demonstrations across the country against the reinstatement of the quota system in public jobs.

Besides, its student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) expressed solidarity with the anti-discrimination student movement and declared to stay on the streets with them.

However, a number of Chhatra League leaders announced their resignation condemning the "attacks" on protesting students.

Five rights organizations on July 16 issued separate statements condemning the attacks on quota reform protesters at Dhaka University and other campuses across the country, resulting in at least six deaths across the country.

The organizations were- Amnesty International South Asia, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), the International Human Rights Commission's Bangladesh chapter, Manobadhikar Sangskriti Foundation and Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik.

Besides, at least 114 prominent citizens of the country also issued a statement strongly condemning the attacks on student protesters.

The 1990 Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) and the All-Party Student Alliance leaders issued a statement expressing concern over the attacks on students and declared to stay besides the agitating students.