The statement was not given voluntarily

The six coordinators of the 'anti-discrimination student movement' claimed that we did not voluntarily give the video statement broadcast from the DB office calling off the movement.

They said this in a joint statement today after being released from DB custody on Thursday.

According to the statement, three coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Abu Bakr Majumdar, were forcibly brought by the DB police to the DB office at Minto Road on July 26. Md. Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmood were under treatment in the hospital.

On July 27, coordinators Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah were forcibly taken from ScienceLab to the DB office. Coordinator Nusrat Tabassum was forcibly brought to the DB office early on July 28.

It also says, 'The coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement are being disappeared, arrested, tortured and harassed since July 19 mainly to disperse the movement and leadership. Following this, six coordinators were forcibly detained in DB custody for seven days in the name of security. Even though the Home Minister and the DB chief talked about security, the DB was kept in custody to keep us isolated from the movement.'

Six coordinators said, 'We wanted safety and security from disappearances, arrests and torture; We wanted to guarantee our right to express our opinion. But unconstitutionally and unlawfully our DB is detained in custody. At first they talked about security, but later they talked about the court. We can't go without a court order. We do not want security for this farce from the government We want justice for the murder of our brothers and sisters.'

The statement further said, 'We have not voluntarily given the video statement of the six coordinators broadcast from the DB office withdrawing the agitation. No decision on the anti-discrimination student movement can come from the DB office. No decision will be accepted as final without the participation of all coordinators and agitating students across the country.'

'We were forced to sit on the dining table and videoed at the DB office. The family was called and held for 13 hours with assurances that we would be released and false statements were made to the media. When our teachers came to meet, they were not allowed to meet.'

In protest against the unjust detention of coordinators, the arrest and torture of students across the country, coordinators Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Abu Bakr started a hunger strike while being detained in the DB office since the night of July 30. Later, on hearing that news, Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah and Nusrat Tabassum also started a hunger strike.

“The hunger strike was kept secret from the family and the media. After more than 32 hours of hunger strike, the hunger strike was broken when the DB chief took the final decision to release the six coordinators. We were released to the custody of the family on August 1 at 1:30 p.m. For the last seven days, we and our family have been harassed, tortured and drama staged in the DB office. We strongly condemn and protest this.'

It is further said, 'We were detained unjustly on the orders of the Home Minister. The government has pitted the law and order forces against the student-citizen. The government still continues its crackdown on students and is arresting and torturing protesting students across the country and obstructing peaceful activities.' The program of the anti-discrimination student movement will continue to demand the trial of student-citizen murders and the release of detained innocent people. There will be a call to the students and citizens all over the country to ignore the government's false propaganda and repression and come to the streets. The blood of martyrs will not go in vain.'

Since last July 5, the students started the movement demanding reform of quota in government jobs. Then they started giving programs one after another. Later vandalism and violence arose around this movement, the government issued curfew across the country to deal with it; Which is currently very relaxed.

Jagran/National/MA/SSK