By Rumana Jaman

DHAKA, Dec 29, 2024 (BSS) - Badda virtually was the epicenter of the historic
July movement as main roads was buzzing with revolutionary slogans of
protesters. With the national flag tied on the heads and slogans on the face
- 'Why did my brother die? I want answers, I want answers; there are a lot of
storms in my chest. Shoot me in the chest'.

Members of law enforcement agencies launched ruthless crackdown on peaceful
demonstration making the busy area of Dhaka city a deadliest one. The Badda,
area was shaken by sound grenades, heavy frequent sounds of bullets
simultaneously the entire areas of Badda, Rumpura and Biswa road area was
covered with smoke of tear shells as students different private universities
including BRAC and East -West, and North South and Canadian took to the
streets.

A wave of strong movement under the banner of the Anti-discrimination Student
Movement forced the authorities of the public universities of the country to
evacuate the student halls for stopping the protest. But shut down of public
universities failed to suppress the movement as the brave protest of the
student of these private universities sparked the protest, which eventually
turned it into student-people mass uprising.

When the scale of brutality of law enforcement agencies increased in
manifolds, the roads has turned bloody, panicked people were leaving the
streets for saving their lives.

The bullet-riddled bodies were lying on the road. RAB and police were
patrolling on the streets. Despite massive scale brutal crackdown by members
of RAB and police, it failed to stop the protests.

These are also almost every day incidents at city's Badda area during the
July mass uprising.
 
There were barricades along with the fear of arrest everywhere from streets
to the main road. There was a fear of attack by the law enforcement agencies
and the Chhatra League. However, students of
private universities did not back down. Students of East West, BRAC,North
South, Canadian University, Imperial School and College in Rampura, Khilgaon
Model College, UIU, State University and other
nearby students stood on Rampura-Badda Road to face the gunfire. Ignoring the
curfew, the movement continued, with the full support of families, teachers
and student friends.

Streets have been turbulent with processions:

Asked about how the Rampura-Badda road was kept 'blocked' day after day in
front of the administration? Ayatollah Behesti, coordinator of North South
University, said, "On July 15, some students of our university took part in
the movement in solidarity with the demand for quota reform.
But it took a big turn on July 16 and the scenario changed after that.

When we saw that Chhatra League menindiscriminately attacked the students of
Dhaka iversity and Jahangirnagar University and brutally killed the girls,
then we collectively took the decision to participate in the movement.

Ayatollah Behesti also said, "We took the decision to block Malibagh-Rampura-
Badda area including the Bishwa Road. At that time we contacted the students
of several universities including BRAC, East West and Canadian university and
formed a committee. We received some guidelines from the central commitee. We
decided that we would continue our movement by dividing ourselves in
fivesectors. Since then, there was a continuous curfew, we broke that curfew
and continued our movement. But that time, there was no central direction. We
had one meeting with the central committee, where we informed our decision.
They just said yes, and said it's better to continue the movement in this
way."

He said, "We sent a message that we would gather in front of East West every
day with the ID card of our respective institutions hanging around our neck.
Later, students took position on the road dividing into several groups. Small
processions came and joined us. As the day progressed, the gathering grew.
People from different classes and professions used to join us every day."

Placards inscribed with protest words got revolutionary shape:

By talking to the students of several private universities including BRAC,
East-West, Canadian university, it was found that the incident of attack on
common students of public university was the main reason for which the
movement gained momentum.

The students said that since July 16, the police began arresting the students
extensively. At that time, block raids were conducted almost regularly in the
surrounding areas of private universities. Students' phones were checked on
the way and if any evidence of involvement in the movement was found, he was
detained.

Yusuf Salehin, a 3rd year student of BRAC University said, "We used to come
and gather on Badda Road at the first light of dawn.
People from Jubo League, Chhatra League and local councilors used to do show
down on the roads along with the police. As soon as the procession was
brought out on the streets, bullets were fired. As such, we used to sit on
the road and protest with placards and anti-dictatorship slogans. The main
slogan was 'quota not merit, merit merit, bought with the blood of millions
of martyrs, the country does not belong to one's father, wake up, wake up,
student society has woken up'. At our call, the streets turned tumultuous
with processions and rebellion.

It was like a battlefield:

18 July. Students were holding a 'Complete Shutdown' program across the
country to demand quota reform. Students of private universities came down on
the streets of Merul Badda in the capital that morning.

At around 11 o'clock that day, the policemen took position inside the campus
of the Canadian University in the face of resistance from the protesters. At
around 2.30pm, the RAB helicopter arrived and rescued
at least 60 policemen. Since that day, the entire road from Badda-Rampura to
Bishwa Road turned as one of the epicenter of the movement.
It was another Gonojagoron Mancha' (mass-upsurge stage) Sania Amin Snigdha
Mridha, a 2nd year student of Canadian University,was the protesting voice of
Badda 'Blockade'.

Talking to BSS, this brave female student said, "We gathered peacefully on
the road in front of BRAC University at 10:30am during the 'complete
shutdown' on July 18. Students of North South, IBA, AIUB
from the north and students of East West, BRAC and Canadian University from
the south were giving anti-dictatorship slogans on the main road from both
sides. Police attacked us in front of BRAC University without any
provocation."

"They threw sound grenades and tear gas shells. At one point, bullets were
fired on the procession directly. The police fell in the middle due to our
resistance from the north and south. The police entered our university
(Canadian) and broke the focus glass facing the street and again fired
at us from above. About half a hundred students were forced to enter the
university. The police then moved towards the roof to shoot at us from the
stairs of the building. At that time, two of our fellow students were shot.
One was shot in the head, another in the chest. Both died instantly. Several
students were injured," she added.

Snigdha said in a tearful voice, "That day I saw the body of my brother, who
was shot in the head, lying on the stairs.

Brain and blood was coming out from the bullet hit head. That horrific scene
will leave me 'traumatized' for the rest of my life.

It was seen on the spot that students have painted a picture of a helicopter
on one side of the wall of the Canadian University from where the police
escaped by helicopter by climbing a ladder
on the rooftop. The ladder is kept leaning.

ASMG Farooq Baske, registrar of the Canadian University, said, "On July 18,
around 3pm, police entered our university. As the elevator was closed, they
climbed up on foot in the 14-story building. At that
time, the police fired gunshots along the stairs of the 5th floor.

They broke the street-facing focus glass of the 4th floor and started
shooting at the students from above."

Body pierced with pellets lay on the road:

While questioning Firoz Mia (45), a small shopkeeper of the Rampura-Wapda
Road --one of the key conflict zone in the anti-quota movement -- was present
at the time of student movement. As he was
asked he got panicked and replied saying, "Yes, I was here during the
movement and an old rickshaw puller died in front of my eyes. The rickshaw
puller stood in front of the shop. Suddenly, the noise of the plane came.
Bullets came down from the plane. I ran to a side street and entered the gate
of a house. That uncle with the rickshaw is an old man and he couldn't run
away. Later, I saw uncle's body lying on the road. The bullet entered the
backbone of the uncle. Blood and blood everywhere. I will never forget that
scene in life."

Stains of blood:

Muqtadir Saidi, a 4th year BBA student of Southeast University, said, "We
continued movement on Badda Road from 17th July to 5th August ignoring the
strict security of RAB, police, curfew and bullets. I saw dead bodies on the
streets, I saw the blood of my colleagues, I myself was wounded several
times."

Muqtadir said, "July 19, the day was Friday. After Jumma Prayer, I was
returning home from Banshree 'A Block' in front of Faraji Hospital. Suddenly,
many BGB cars entered the lane from the south. I stood
inside a shop next to the main road. At that time, two policemen warned the
shopkeeper and asked to pull the shatter from inside and close the shop. No
one would be allowed on the main road again.
Protesters will be shot on sight."

Muqtadir Saidi said, "When the situation calmed down a bit, I saw two bodies
lying near Faraji Hospital. The chest is riddled with bullets. There was
blood on the road."

Tragic situation in the devastated locality:

Nearly five months have passed since fall of the Autocratic Awami League
government. The devastated locality has still been confined with cruel and
ruthless memories.

You will see signs of wounds in Rampura-Badda-Banshree Road-Natun Bazar
towards Bishwa Road. There are bullet holes in the electricity poles and
walls on both sides of the road. The walls are covered with protest graffiti
demanding Sheikh Hasina's resignation - 'Subodh tui paliye za, Ekhon Somoy
Pokkhe Na, 'Aasche Fagun, Amra hobo digun', 'Bloody July', 'Tui mor chawak
cakri na dibu na de, kintu marlu kane?'

The autocratic ruler fled away almost five months ago. But the streets are
still giving a testimony of it.