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student group and its organisation for citizens, the Nagorik Committee, sat for separate meetings at their offices in Bangla Motor around 10:00pm.

After intense drama for hours, they decided to hold a “March for Unity” instead of making the proclamation.

In the beginning, some of them became agitated and still wanted to go ahead with the programme while some wanted to call off the event.

Asif Mahmud, an adviser to the Yunus government and a key organiser of the student movement, was among the leaders who tried to calm the activists.

At the meeting of the student platform, the discussion started with an announcement by a top leader that the December 31 programme would be postponed, three leaders who were present at the meeting told The Daily Star, requesting to be unnamed.

Many resented his announcement, which he made “without consulting other leaders”.

Organisers, who were entitled with responsibilities to bring activists from different districts and upazilas, presented a calculation of how many buses would bring how many people from each district.

Outside the office, the organisers were seen talking over their phones.

One of the organisers said buses had set off, but now they stopped midway, awaiting a decision. Nothing had been finalised yet.

At the other meeting, of the Nagorik Committee, a group of leaders expressed their dissatisfaction over being in the dark about the government’s decision.

“They raised questions as to why Nagorik Committee Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain was not informed of the government’s decision. However, at the meeting, Akhtar remained firm that the programme would be held at any cost,” one member of the committee told this newspaper.

They were holding repeated meetings separately and jointly at the two platform’s offices.

Akhtar left the office around 10:45pm, followed by Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar shortly afterwards. Neither of them spoke to the media.

As per sources inside the two platforms, Adviser Asif Mahmud sat with the two groups and tried to explain the government’s decision. He left the offices around 11:15pm.

Meanwhile, two groups were demonstrating outside the building. They chanted slogans demanding that the programme be held.

Hasnat Abdullah, the convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, arrived at the offices with Umama Fatema, spokesperson for the platform, at 12:30am on Tuesday.

The leaders sat again afterwards, and following an hour-long discussion, they decided the proclamation would not be announced.

However, since people from various districts were already on their way, the event would be held, but in a different pattern, they decided.

After their meeting, at 1:30am, Jatiya Nagorik Committee Chief Organiser Sarjis Alam told a press conference, “Through the initiative to prepare a declaration of uprising, the government has brought all of Bangladesh to a united stance. We applaud this effort.”

The dramatic change of the plans about the proclamation came after the political parties gave mixed reactions over the issue.

The BNP and several other parties said they apprehended the move may delay the next election. They also wondered why the students wanted to make a proclamation five months after the uprising.

The Jamaat-e-Islami welcomed the student platform’s decision to make a proclamation.