Staff Correspondent | DeepEast News, US
The Bangladesh Chhatra League has called for a nationwide general strike on November 10, outlining eight demands and urging people to keep educational institutions, government and private offices, courts, and public transportation services closed.
The programme was announced in a statement issued by the organisation’s Central Executive Committee on November 6. The statement, signed by President Saddam Hossain and General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan, said the demands were aimed at restoring the people’s freedom, relief, democracy, independence and rights, as well as ensuring students’ right to education.
The eight demands outlined in the statement are:
- Annul the verdict issued by the International Crimes Tribunal against Sheikh Hasina, withdraw all cases described by the organisation as false, and release political prisoners. The statement also called for the cancellation of verdicts delivered by courts it described as “kangaroo courts.”
- Lift the bans imposed on the Bangladesh Awami League and the Bangladesh Chhatra League.
- Restore students’ right to education by cancelling expulsion orders, reinstating academic certificates, and ensuring their rights to attend classes, sit for examinations and access residential facilities.
- Reduce the prices of electricity, fuel, gas, water and fertiliser, while ensuring uninterrupted supply. The statement also called for lower prices of essential commodities and demanded a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000 for garment workers.
- End harassment and political screening under the guise of background verification in government recruitment and ensure equal employment opportunities based on merit.
- End partisan influence in the Public Service Commission (PSC).
- Allocate at least 6 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to the education sector.
- Establish educational institutions free from terrorism, militancy, extremism and communalism.
The statement also outlined the scope of the proposed November 10 strike.According to the announcement, all educational institutions across the country are expected to remain closed. The organisation has urged the suspension of bus, truck, train and launch services, as well as the closure of shops, industrial facilities, government offices and private offices.
It has also called for the suspension of all banking transactions and the closure of courts on that day.However, the statement said emergency services, including ambulances and fire services, as well as news media, would remain exempt from the strike.
