'Heartbreaking': Why do relatives have to look at morgues for missing students? asks GM Quader
“Why do relatives have to run to the morgue in search of missing students? Such heartbreaking and reprehensible incidents are not known to have happened before in the history of Bangladesh,” GM Quader said in a statement issued this afternoon
Students who participated in the protests demanding quota reform in government jobs are being persecuted despite the government admitting that the students' protests were non-violent, opposition leader and Jatiyo Party (JaPa) Chairman Ghulam Mohammed Quader said today (24 July).
"Why do relatives have to run to the morgue in search of missing students? Such heartbreaking and reprehensible incidents are not known to have happened before in the history of Bangladesh," GM Quader said in a statement issued this afternoon.
On one hand, GM Quader said the government is saying that they have accepted all demands of the students, and their safety is being ensured.
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On the other hand, he pointed out that "a few students are still missing".
"Many have been arrested in various cases. A lot of the students are now in hiding to avoid arrests. This is nothing but duplicity of the government," the opposition leader said.
He further said quota reform movement coordinator Nahid Islam has alleged that he was taken by members of law enforcement who "brutally beat" him.
"The scars on his body and the brutality of the torture have been described in various media reports," he added.
The JaPa chairman called on the government to ensure the complete safety of the students who participated in the protest.
"The government will have to find the missing students. The brutal torture of students is inhumane and unacceptable."
Further speaking about the missing students, GM Quader said Billah Hossein, father of quota protest coordinator Asif Mahmud, yesterday claimed his son is missing.
"Relatives of Asif and other coordinators, including Abu Bareq Majumder and Rifar Mahmud, haven't been able to find them. Students have claimed many of the general students are also missing. Media reports state that their relatives are looking into hospital morgues for their bodies," said the JaPa leader.
He demanded unconditional release of all arrested and detained students and withdrawal of all cases against them and called for an end to the persecution of students.
