Students Against Discrimination

Students Against Discrimination () is a platform of student activists in Bangladesh formed in 2024 during the nationwide student-led quota reform movement. The group was involved in the ousting of the country's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 through the Student–People's uprising.

It is an umbrella organization. It works on building the political range of Bangladesh, though it is a non-political organization.

On 22 October 2024, the Students Against Discrimination and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee jointly announced a five-point demand, advocating for sweeping political and constitutional changes to dismantle what they describe as a "fascist political settlement" and replace it with a democratic one.

History

The organisation was created on 1 July 2024. On 8 July 2024, it announced a 65-member committee, comprising 23 coordinators and 42 co-coordinators, to make the movement a success after its creation. On 3 August, after the agitation grew in scale, the group formed a 158-member coordination team with students from various educational institutions, of which 49 were coordinators and 109 were co-coordinators.

Since its inception, several coordinators have been seen at the helm of this group. Among them are Nahid Islam, student of Sociology Department of University of Dhaka, Rifat Rashid of International Relations Department, Sarjis Alam of Zoology Department, Hasnat Abdullah of English Department, Asif Mahmud of Linguistics Department, Abu Bakr Majumdar of Law Department, Arif Sohel, student of Jahangirnagar University and others.

The protesters under the banner of Anti-discrimination Student Movement continuously organised four-point demands on 1 July 2024, in support of reforms on civil service reservation quotas in Bangladesh. From 2 to 6 July, students of various institutions held protests, human chains, highway blockades, etc. in different parts of the country. On 7 July, the platform called for the "Bangla Blockade", under which students staged demonstrations, marches, civil disobedience and blockades of highways and railways.

One of the group's coordinators, Abu Sayed of Rangpur's Begum Rokeya University, was shot and killed by the police on 16 July 2024.

The anti-discrimination student movement gained momentum when private university students joined on July 16. In response to the escalating quota reform movement, the government mandated the closure of all educational institutions on July 16, 2024. Subsequently, on July 17th, students residing in dormitories at public universities across the nation, including Dhaka University, were compelled to vacate their accommodations. However, due to the permanent residency of a significant portion of private university students in Dhaka, their presence within the city noticeably increased on July 18. On this date, a substantial confrontation occurred between law enforcement and students affiliated with BRAC University and East West University in the Rampura area. Simultaneously, students from AIUB, North South University, Independent University, Bangladesh, Dhaka International University and UIU staged demonstrations along Kuril Bishwa Road and Pragati Sarani. Concurrently, protests were initiated by students from Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh University of Textiles, Southeast University in Mohakhali area and Northern University in the Uttara region.

The group spearheaded a nationwide uprising, advocating for political change and successfully prompting the resignation of the Awami League leadership on August 5, 2024. On 8 August 2024, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, two members of the group were appointed as advisers in the interim government led by Dr Yunus. After the Yunus interim government took responsibility of Bangladesh's administration, the group announced a liaison committee to work on the new political arrangement. On the same day, it announced a new coordination team.
As of August 2024, members of the organisation were suggesting the formation of a political party within a month.

On 22 October 2024, The organisation announced a four-member central convener committee during press conference at the Central Shaheed Minar. Hasnat Abdullah was made convener, Arif Sohel member secretary, Abdul Hannan Masud chief organiser, and Umama Fatema the spokesperson of the committee.

Controversy

Many members of the organization have been involved in the unlawful destruction and demolition of private property belonging to several political leaders and party offices, including the Jatiya Party’s offices and the ancestral home of its leader, Rowshan Ershad—carried out without any legal authority or official orders.

In March 2025, police arrested a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement on charges of involvement in the attack on the under-construction model mosque in Pirojpur city, where workers were assaulted, and money was looted.

In April 2025, police arrested a leader of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement after he attempted to kidnap and rape a woman in Kurigram District.

On May 29, 2025, leaders and activists of the anti-discrimination student movement in Rangpur attacked the residence of Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader and set his motorcycle on fire.

See also

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Notes

References

External links

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{{Quota reform movement in Bangladesh

Bangladesh quota reform movement
2024 establishments in Bangladesh
Student organisations in Bangladesh
Anti-fascism in Bangladesh