Dhaka: Students and people from various walks of life joined solidarity rallies on campuses of different educational institutes, including Dhaka University, to extend their support to the Palestinian people against what they describe as Israel's genocide in Gaza.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, in response to a global call for a strike, students from numerous institutes and the general public gathered at Dhaka University's Raju monument near TSC. They participated in a procession, chanting anti-Israel slogans and demanding justice for the alleged genocide in Gaza. Some student leaders spearheaded a nationwide 'No Work, No School' campaign for the day.
The protesters, comprising both students and the general populace, took part in the solidarity and protest program carrying Palestinian flags, festoons, and placards. In various locations, individuals formed human chains, while other groups organized protest processions and rallies, demanding an immediate cessation of the ongoing violence and destruction in Gaza.
As part of the event, students from different schools and colleges assembled on the Dhaka University campus to align themselves with the global protest against the mass killings in Gaza. DU student Tamim Ahsan remarked that the rally, organized in solidarity with the global strike called by Palestine's freedom-seeking people, saw participation from students and citizens from all sectors to express their outrage and protest against what they see as brutal Israeli aggression in Gaza. He appealed for an end to the aggression and urged the Bangladesh government to join the non-cooperation movement against Israel.
Speaking to BSS, student Faruk Hossen accused Israel of committing heinous acts of genocide, supported by some Western countries. He criticized certain Arab nations for maintaining relations with Western powers backing Israel.
In a symbolic act of protest, participants burnt an effigy of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In support of the movement, the Dhaka University administration postponed all classes and exams, while offices operated for only two hours. Bangladesh Medical University (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University) also expressed solidarity, postponing all exams and classes on April 7, 2025, with administrative approval.
Students and teachers from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) formed a human chain at the Central Shaheed Minar. BUET students condemned the actions in Gaza as a humanitarian and moral crisis, not merely a political one. They highlighted violations such as ceasefire breaches and attacks on humanitarian corridors as severe degradations of civilization.
BUET Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr. Abdul Hasib Chowdhury, expressing support from the human chain, stated that Israeli forces have been committing genocide in Palestine for a quarter of a century. He criticized the silence of the Arab world and other powerful nations, expressing hope for an independent Palestine to emerge from the ruins, marking a historic defeat of imperialism and colonialism.