Shutdown
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considering the present situation. Criminals are taking advantage in many ways, he told reporters. The press briefing was aired by Channel 24.
“We will announce our next programme after observing these 48 hours and during this time, we will sort out the confusion regarding the eight and nine-point demands,” he said.
“We have suspended our compete shutdown programme and we want the government to also withdraw the curfew,” Sarjis told The Daily Star, quoting from a statement given to reporters at the hospital.
Earlier, Hasnat Abdullah, one of the three coordinators who placed an eight-point demand late Friday night following a meeting with three ministers, told The Daily Star, “We are viewing the verdict positively. But our demand was for a logical reform to the quota system in every grade of government jobs.”
Nahid was not among the three who met the ministers and placed the eight demands.
Meanwhile, Numan Ahmed Chowdhury, assistant coordinator of the protests, told The Daily Star that they are still pressing on with their nine-point demand.
He said they have watched the announcement made on TV but they believe the three are being influenced by the government. Nahid had been picked up and some other protest organisers are missing, he said.
Numan said an attempt is being made to foil the movement by having the statement issued under duress.
The Daily Star failed to contact other coordinators of the protest but earlier in the day 59 coordinators and assistant coordinators issued a press release sticking to their “complete shutdown” programme and their nine-point demand.
Abdul Kader, a coordinator of the demonstrations who placed the nine-point demand on Friday night, said the Supreme Court judgement was unclear and “left room for confusion”.
The press release was sent via text messages from Kader’s phone number.
The Daily Star spoke to two coordinators Umama Fatima, Nazmul Hasan, and assistant coordinator Abdullah Salehin Ayon. They said they endorse the text.
The press release said, “There is no specific solution [in the verdict] … There is a scope for the government to increase the quota percentage at will in future.”
The coordinators demanded a special session of the Jatiya Sangsad within a week for enacting a law in this regard.
With such a “vague verdict”, the government cannot avoid the responsibility for killing students and people, read the press release.
In the release, Kader, a student of social welfare at Dhaka University, called for a nationwide gayebana namaz-e-janaza after Johr prayers today.
He said the internet service across the country has been suspended for the last two days to suppress the demonstrations and to cover up the real situation.
The nine-point demand includes an apology from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the deaths of students; resignation of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader from the cabinet and AL; and termination of the deputy inspectors general of police, the police commissioner and superintendents of police of the areas where students were killed.