Demand for an immediate end to wholesale arrest and harassment continued to pour in from different quarters.

The Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal–JSD president ASM Abdur Rab and the Shujan–Citizens for Good Governance on Friday issued statements making the demand.

JSD president ASM Abdur Rab in a statement on Thursday called on the government to stop arrest and harassments of opposition leaders centring on the student movement for reforming quotas in the government jobs.

Law enforcers are arresting central leaders of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and other opposition parties countrywide, he said, calling on the government to stop arrest and harassments of the opposition leaders.

He also demanded trials and exemplary punishments of the responsible for killing of more than 200 students and people in the movement.

Mentioning to take immediate step to stop confrontations, he, moreover, demanded withdrawal of curfew, reopening of all educational institutions and fulfil the demands of the quota movement students.

The Shujan-Citizens for Good Governance platform on Friday issued a statement urging the government to stop wholesale arrests and filing of cases.

The organisation, in its statement signed by its president M Hafizuddin Khan and secretary Badiul Alam Majumder, also demanded that the government ensure security of the students.

According to the statement, the deadlock resulted from the movement of general students demanding reform in the quota system in government jobs has not been resolved yet.

‘We believe that so many lives have been lost as a result of provocative statements by the government, instigation by vested interest quarters and excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies,’ said the statement.

It said that a lack of democracy and good governance was observed in the country. In a free and democratic country, such loss of lives in a movement for rights could not be accepted in any way, the statement continued.

Every life is invaluable, and the damage caused by the loss of a life can never be mended, it said.

‘We strongly demand the formation of a commission incorporating impartial individuals and experts to investigate every killing and take appropriate legal action and punitive measures against those guilty,’ the statement said.

It said, ‘The violence in the name of movement and attacks, vandalism and setting fire to government buildings is not justified in any way. We demand that those who have destroyed state property should also be brought to justice.’

‘However, we thank the government for reforming the quota system in accordance with the court’s directives,’ it further said.

‘We request the government to ensure safety of the students on the campuses,’ said the statement.

The Shujan statement also urged the government to make an effort to understand why people, including general students, were so angered over the quota issue.

‘We fear that the explosion of people’s movement over the quota reform is merely a symptom of the disease—the root disease is people’s deprivation from voting rights and other civil rights.’

‘We call upon the government to hold an urgent dialogue with all stakeholders, particularly political parties, for a sustainable solution to the critical issues.’

‘At the same time, we strongly demand immediate discussions with the leaders of the anti-discrimination student movement to resolve the impasse by accepting their logical demands,’ it added.