Polytechnic Protest Persists: ‘Rise in Red’ Human Chain Announced
Following Friday’s nationwide “Kafan Michhil” demonstrations after Jummah prayers, polytechnic students across Bangladesh have announced a new protest initiative titled “Rise in Red”, to be held on Saturday (April 19). As part of this program, students will form peaceful human chains holding placards in front of their respective institutions or at key public locations.
The announcement was made late Friday night (April 18) through a post on the Facebook page Karigori Chhatra Andolon, Bangladesh, which has been serving as the primary platform for coordinating and updating the ongoing student movement. According to the page, Saturday’s program will begin simultaneously at 11:30 am across all polytechnic institutes in the country.
The protest will include symbolic acts such as draping the main gates of every polytechnic institute in red cloth indefinitely, in protest of the recent attack in Cumilla and the continued neglect of polytechnic students' rights. The students intend to draw attention to their six-point demand and protest systemic discrimination in the technical education sector.
"To avoid public suffering, students will form human chains on both sides of highways or in significant locations, holding placards to peacefully draw the attention of relevant authorities and the government," the statement from the page said.
It is notable that the Facebook page has been posting offline video footage and updates from protests around the country. As of the time this report was written, the Karigori Chhatra Andolon, Bangladesh page had 23,000 followers, with both views and followers increasing rapidly.
