Dhaka, July 31 (V7N) - Ganatantra Mancha, a coalition of several opposition parties, has accused the government of transforming Bangladesh into a “death valley” by allegedly killing “several hundred” students and citizens to stifle student protests.
 
At a protest rally, Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon, claimed that the government is attempting to deflect blame for recent violence onto opposition parties in order to undermine the students' quota movement.
 
“The entire nation has become a death valley. Hundreds of students have been killed, and the government is struggling to conceal the scale of these casualties. We see them employing various political tactics to obscure the truth,” Saki said.
 
He criticized the government’s assertion that Jamaat and Shibir should be banned for their role in the violence, pointing out that 80 to 90 percent of the arrested students lack political affiliations. “The government’s deceit is now apparent. They are arresting politically neutral students and attempting to discredit movements by blaming others, as they have done in the past,” he added.
 
Ganatantra Mancha had planned a protest rally at Purana Paltan intersection around 11:30 am to demand the resignation of the Awami League government, among other issues. However, a heavy police presence with prison vans in the area forced the leaders to hold a brief rally on the footpath in front of the Al Raji Complex in Bijoynagar.
 
Protesting against the police action, Saki stated, “We intended to hold a rally to condemn the killing of our students and seek justice. Yet, the police cordoned off the Purana Paltan area, showing complete disregard for law and order. They disrupted our rally with aggressive tactics and confiscated our loudspeakers. We condemn this police action in the strongest terms.”
 
Saki called for the government’s resignation, emphasizing that there is widespread public demand for its removal. He announced that their alliance would reveal their next steps in a press conference on Thursday.
 
Saiful Haque, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party, argued that the government is now solely dependent on administrative support. “The government’s survival is precarious. If law enforcement agencies perform their duties properly, this government will be left with no escape,” he warned.
 
Haque demanded that the government resign and transfer power to an interim administration to address the political crisis, or face the possibility of being ousted by the people’s collective anger.
 
END/SMA/AJ/