Progressive Student Alliance,  a platform of left leaning student fronts, observed the ‘Autocracy Resistance Day’ at Dhaka University (DU) yesterday recalling the uprising of 1983 that forced the cancellation of Mazid Khan Education Commission report and forged students unity against the military rule of HM Ershad.The alliance brought out a procession on the campus marking the day which paraded several roads of the university which followed by a short rally in front of DUCSU building at 1 pm. While addressing the rally, student leaders said that the education system was in the verge of collapse and becoming a factory of producing ‘demons’ as question of public exams were leaking continuously.

They further said that the ‘shameless’ education minister should awarded for his fondness to his post after leaking of seven consecutive question papers of ongoing SSC examination.  Lambasting the government, they said it utterly failed to apprehend the perpetrators though they leaked the questions by declaring in different social media platforms hours before the exam but police is not arresting those perpetrators.

They also demanded student union polls immediately in educational institutes across the country to ensure democratic environment of education.

Earlier in the dawn of the day, the leaders of ‘Madhya February 83 Smiriti Shanrakkhan Parishad’, Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, Samrajyabadbirodhi Chhatra Oikya and some other organisations placed wreaths at the memorial in front of the Sikkha Bhaban at about 7am.

On February 14, 1983, during the martial law regime of HM Ershad, students marched towards Bangladesh Secretariat protesting against the Mazid Khan-led education commission report and for restoration of democracy.