Bangladesh is under unrest after protestors marched toward Sheikh Hasina's official residence forcing her to resign from Prime Ministerial post and flee the country. More than 100 people died in the violence fueled during the Bangladesh Students' Protest against the country's job quota system. Amid the turmoil and fear of a mob storming into her residence, Sheikh Hasina tendered her resignation as Bangladesh PM and fled from the country in a military chopper to India. As per reports, Hasina is under India's protection and she will reportedly reside there until the United Kingdom (UK) grants her asylum. Meanwhile, three students named Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud, and Abu Bakar Majumder have popped up and have become the face of the protest that brought down the age of Sheikh Hasina's government. Now, let's know about the three students one by one in detail below-
Who is Nahid Islam?
Nahid Islam is among the six coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Bangladesh. Nahid Islam is a student of Dhaka University. Last month, 6 people leading the protest were held hostage by the Detective Branch for 6 days in the name of keeping them safe. Out of these, Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud, and Abu Bakar Majumder were injured and were undergoing treatment in hospitals.
As per reports, Nahid Islam and others mentioned above were forced to make videos to withdraw the movement. When they were in captivity, the Bangladesh Home Minister claimed that they had said to end the movement on their own. When the matter came to light, the anger of the protesters flared up further.
PM Hasina had called an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Sunday. She alleged that the protesters should come to the negotiating table. After the Sunday clashes, Nahid Islam announced that the Dhaka march proposed on Tuesday will now take place on Monday. He said, now the decision will be taken on the streets. Nahid Islam who became the biggest face of the student movement appealed to the protesters to continue their protest in Shahbagh until the government falls. Islam said on Sunday evening that the students are ready to deal with any situation. "We have picked up sticks today. If the sticks do not work then we are ready to take up arms," Nahid was quoted saying.
Who is Asif Mahmud?
Asif Mahmud is a student of Language Studies at Dhaka University. He became a part of the nationwide movement against reservation that started in June. Asif Mahmud was also among those detained by the Detective Branch on July 26. Like the others, he was also detained from the hospital during treatment. Security reasons were also cited behind Asif's detention.
On July 27, the Detective Branch detained two more student leaders. Their names were Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah. They were kept in the Detective Branch office. On July 28, their family members sought permission to meet them, but they were not allowed to meet them.
Who is Abu Bakar Majumder?
Abu Bakar Majumder is also involved in ousting Sheikh Hasina from power. He is a student of the Geography Department at Dhaka University. As per reports, Abu also works on civil and human rights.
After the High Court decided on the reservation on June 5, Bakar along with his friends started the Students Against Discrimination Movement. He strongly opposed giving reservations in government jobs to the relatives of "freedom fighters".
On the evening of July 19, some people took Abu with them from the Dhanmondi area. After which nothing was known about him for several days. Two days later, he was left on the roadside from where he was picked up. Later Abu told the media that the police were pressuring him to withdraw the movement by locking him in a room. When he refused, he was beaten up. The injured Abu Majumdar was admitted to Dhanmondi's Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital. On July 26, the police took him into custody again.