July 12, 2024: No holiday from resistance

Despite the weekly holiday, anti-quota protesters once again blocked the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka, demanding reforms to the quota system in government jobs and condemning the police action on students the previous day. Similar demonstrations unfolded across the country, including in Cumilla, Chattogram, Rajshahi, and other cities, as part of a scheduled wave of campus rallies.

Around 5:00pm, several hundred students from Dhaka University marched from the Central Library to Shahbagh, where they were later joined by students from Dhaka College. The protesters raised slogans calling for quota reform and justice for their fellow demonstrators who had been attacked.

"During our movement, our brothers and sisters were attacked at various universities. Our movement is logical and democratic, but we still faced police action. We demand that the attackers be quickly identified and brought to justice," said Abu Sayeed, one of the key organisers of the movement.

The protesters announced that a press conference would be held the following evening in front of the DU Central Library to announce their next course of action. After a brief rally, the demonstrators left Shahbagh around 6:00pm.

Meanwhile, then Law Minister Anisul Huq expressed his belief that the students, having voiced their concerns, would accept the Supreme Court's directive and return home. He warned that the government would be compelled to act if disruptions continued.

In Dhaka, then Metropolitan Police Commissioner Habibur Rahman also warned that any attempt to disrupt law and order would not be tolerated. "There is an obligation to obey the court's order. If anyone tries to break the law, it will not be tolerated," he said.

The students remained resolute, declaring that their demonstrations would continue until the government formed a commission to reform the quota system and enacted legislation accordingly. Across various universities and colleges, they held demonstrations, marches, and rallies, signalling the growing strength of the movement.

At Jagannath University, students marched from the Faculty of Arts building, weaving through the main roads, passing Bahadur Shah Park and Kabi Nazrul College, before returning to campus.

Meanwhile, at Jahangirnagar University, students held a torchlight procession that culminated in a rally at the Shaheed Minar.

In at least 15 locations outside Dhaka, students took to the streets. In Debendra College, Manikganj, protesters alleged that Chhatra League activists obstructed their march.

At Rajshahi University, students blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi railway line, joined by students from RUET and Rajshahi Medical College.

In Chattogram, students and jobseekers from various institutions, including Chittagong University, marched from Sholashahar railway station through the city.

Students at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur held a protest rally on campus but were reportedly stopped by police from moving onto the main road.

At Comilla University, students marched from the main gate to the university's entrance, while at Comilla Victoria College, students issued an ultimatum demanding the arrest of those responsible for an earlier attack.

Protests and human chains also took place at Ananda Mohan College, Narayanganj College, Mymensingh College, Bangladesh Agricultural University, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University. Students at Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Islamic University in Kushtia, and in Syedpur, Nilphamari also joined the nationwide movement.

In Bogura, general students held a demonstration march from Satmatha Square, while protests were also reported in Maijdee, Noakhali, involving students from various educational institutions.

Across the country, the call for quota reform resonated louder, as students vowed to press on until their demands were met.