Latest news with #StudentsAgainstDiscrimination
The Print
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Ex-prez Hamid returns to Bangladesh after medical treatment abroad: Reports
Hamid's departure for Thailand on May 8 prompted a protest by the student group Students Against Discrimination (SAD) as he was allowed to leave the country despite being accused in a murder case. The 81-year-old, who served two terms as president during deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime, arrived at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 1:45 am, news portal Prothom Alo reported. Dhaka, Jun 9 (PTI) Bangladesh's former president Abdul Hamid returned to the country on Monday after receiving medical treatment abroad, according to media reports. Upon his arrival, Hamid was accompanied by his son and brother-in-law, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. He was brought down from the aircraft in a wheelchair, the report said, quoting airport authorities. Earlier, Bangladeshi authorities promised punitive actions against officials who let the former head of state leave the country. Authorities also suspended two police officers and withdrew another from his assignment in airport immigration on charges of 'negligence of duty'. PTI GRS GRS GRS This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Surgeons help save sight of students shot in eyes
Surgeons from a specialist London eye hospital have helped save the sight of more than 20 Bangladeshi students who were wounded in last summer's protests in the country. Mahi Muqit and Niaz Islam, consultant ophthalmologists at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, evaluated 150 patients aged 14 and 30 during their visit to Dhaka last month. All patients had suffered bullet injuries to the eyes after taking part in protests organised by Students Against Discrimination in July 2024, with the majority receiving initial treatment last year. Mr Muqit, a senior vitreoretinal consultant at Moorfields, said: "It was an honour to be invited to help these people, and an intense experience for all of us." "It's such a privilege to be able to restore sight to people who have lived with sight loss for months," he added. What sparked the protests that toppled Bangladesh's PM? The specialist surgeons operated on 24 patients over two days to save their sight, following invitation from Bangladesh's interim government. Those who did not have surgery were given a rehabilitation plan. Mr Muqit said one of the patients he treated, Rohan, was shot in both eyes. "He was blinded in both eyes, with one being beyond hope," he said. "Our operation on the other eye fixed his retinal detachment and removed scar tissue. "We have every expectation that his vision will continue to improve as he recovers from the surgery." The specialists also discovered that one 20-year-old patient, named Minhaj, still had the original bullets inside his eye from last July. He required surgery to remove them and repair the damage. An estimated 1,000 people suffered some form of eye trauma during the demonstrations in July 2024. About 700 had emergency care from medics at the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH) in Dhaka. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Drenched in blood - how Bangladesh protests turned deadly Videos reveal brutality that left scores dead in Bangladesh protests Bangladesh clashes: 90 killed in anti-government protests Moorfields Eye Hospital
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
London surgeons help save Bangladeshi students' sight
Surgeons from a specialist London eye hospital have helped save the sight of more than 20 Bangladeshi students who were wounded in last summer's protests in the Muqit and Niaz Islam, consultant ophthalmologists at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, evaluated 150 patients aged 14 and 30 during their visit to Dhaka last patients had suffered bullet injuries to the eyes after taking part in protests organised by Students Against Discrimination in July 2024, with the majority receiving initial treatment last Muqit, a senior vitreoretinal consultant at Moorfields, said: "It was an honour to be invited to help these people, and an intense experience for all of us." "It's such a privilege to be able to restore sight to people who have lived with sight loss for months," he added. The specialist surgeons operated on 24 patients over two days to save their sight, following invitation from Bangladesh's interim who did not have surgery were given a rehabilitation plan. Eye trauma Mr Muqit said one of the patients he treated, Rohan, was shot in both eyes."He was blinded in both eyes, with one being beyond hope," he said. "Our operation on the other eye fixed his retinal detachment and removed scar tissue."We have every expectation that his vision will continue to improve as he recovers from the surgery."The specialists also discovered that one 20-year-old patient, named Minhaj, still had the original bullets inside his eye from last required surgery to remove them and repair the estimated 1,000 people suffered some form of eye trauma during the demonstrations in July 700 had emergency care from medics at the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIOH) in Dhaka.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bangladesh student leader aims to finish what uprising began
Bangladeshi students who overthrew autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina last year have formed a new political party to finish the work that began with her ouster, the group's leader told AFP. Nahid Islam, 27, was one of the most visible faces of the youth-led protest campaign Students Against Discrimination, which brought down the curtain on Hasina's iron-fisted rule after 15 years. The sociology graduate resigned last week from the interim administration that replaced her to lead the new National Citizens Party (NCP), arguing that Bangladesh's political establishment lacked the will for far-reaching reforms. "They were not even interested in the reforms for which young people sacrificed their lives," Nahid told AFP. "Because we have an obligation to implement what we pledged during the mass uprising and its aftermath, we decided to form a political party," he said. More than 800 people were killed in last year's uprising, and Nahid was briefly detained alongside other student leaders in an unsuccessful effort to force them to call off the protests. After Hasina's toppling, he accepted an invitation to join an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, 84. Nahid's decision to helm the NCP necessitated his departure from an administration expected to act as a politically neutral umpire while preparing Bangladesh for fresh elections. Polls are due by March next year and are widely expected to be won by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the country's oldest political forces. Nahid said that even if he and his comrades could not form the next government, they had inaugurated a political force set to be influential for decades to come. "Nobody knew that there would be an uprising, but it happened," he said. "I sincerely hope and I believe that we are going to win this time. But this election is not the end of the world... Our target is to sustain this energy for another 50 or 100 or more years." - 'Believe in inclusivity' - The NCP is at loggerheads with its main rival over when the next national election should be staged, with the BNP arguing that fresh polls should be staged as soon as possible to empower a government with a public mandate. "We are often accused of conspiring to delay the election, but that is not true," Nahid said. But he added that it was "not possible" to stage an election while the country still faced issues maintaining law and order after Hasina's ouster. His party are also campaigning for a simultaneous vote to establish a citizens' assembly, to be tasked with root and branch reform of Bangladesh's constitution aimed at ensuring a lasting democracy. The NCP has sought to position itself as a big tent party, open to all people seeking to bring forward the spirit of last year's political tumult. But ructions within the party have already spilt over into public view since its founding last month. A gay rights activist was removed from the party's leadership committee days after it was formed following demands from right-wing groups in the Muslim-majority country. "We believe in inclusivity, but there are certain boundaries set by religious and cultural norms," Nahid said, adding that the party still had an admirable record on diversity. "We have brought women to the forefront and included representatives from all castes and creeds," he said. "We will strive to ensure that all citizens can enjoy their rights." sa/gle/dhw
New York Times
28-02-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
After a Revolution, a Move Toward Politics as Usual in Bangladesh
Some of the students whose protests kick-started a revolution in Bangladesh last year and prompted the ouster of the country's authoritarian leader, Sheikh Hasina, are now taking a more conventional route to pursue their vision for the country: They have started a political party. At a rally in Dhaka, the capital, on Friday, some of the former student leaders announced the creation of the National Citizens Party, which they said would pursue a 'centrist' political ideology. Although membership is open to all, the party will target students, thousands of whom joined the 2024 protests but many of whom have since returned to their normal lives. Leading the new party will be Nahid Islam, a 27-year-old university graduate who helped lead the call for Ms. Hasina's resignation after a 15-year rule during which democratic freedoms eroded amid allegations of corruption and rigged elections. After Ms. Hasina's ouster, Mr. Islam joined the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which seeks to restore order in Bangladesh and pave the way for free and fair elections. The country has not set a date, but Mr. Yunus has said a vote could happen by December. This week, Mr. Islam resigned from the government, saying that it was 'now necessary for me to stand with the students and the people to help build a new political force.' The hope is that taking a political route will allow student voices to be heard as Bangladesh tries to build a robust democracy. An umbrella group called Students Against Discrimination, which represented most of the protesters, will continue as a nonpolitical entity. Students at a news conference held at Dhaka University on Wednesday, where they announced their new political party. Credit... Munir Uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Earlier discussions about a student political party had drawn criticism from a rival. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which became the country's largest political group after the effective disappearance of Ms. Hasina's Awami League, complained the new party had an unfair advantage since its leader had been part of the interim government. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the BNP leader, said he welcomed the formation of a student party, 'but that does not mean you can stay in the government, enjoy all government benefits, and form your party at the same time.' Two other student leaders who had joined the interim government, Mahfuj Alam and Asif Mahmud, have said they will remain in their posts and not join the National Citizens Party. Mr. Mahmud recently said that they couldn't be affiliated with any political party since they were helping oversee the democratic transition.
