The Student Anti-Discrimination Movement has called for a public meeting at Ground Zero in Gulistan today (November 10) to counter the rally called by Awami League leaders at the same location to protest what they call a “governance problem” in the country.

They also called the students of North South University, American International University-Bangladesh, Independent University, Bangladesh to gather at gate number 8 of NSU today at 11:00 am.

Some students started gathering at these locations since early morning.

Students demand trial of ousted Awami League leaders.

Hasnat Abdullah, a coordinator of the movement, said an “anti-fascist stage” would be set up there at 12 p.m.

Earlier, from its verified Facebook post, Bangladesh Awami League urged its activists to come to Shaheed Noor Hossain Chattar at Zero Point, Gulistan on November 10 and protest against what they call “governance problem”.

“Our protest is against the disenfranchisement of the people of the country; Our protest is against the rise of fundamentalist forces; our protest is against the conspiracy to disrupt the lives of common people,” the Facebook post said.

Earlier yesterday, Chief Adviser Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said that the Awami League (AL) will not be given permission to hold a protest program in Dhaka city on November 10.

“The Awami League in its current form is a fascist party. There is no way this fascist party will be allowed to organize protests in Bangladesh,” he wrote in a post on his personal Facebook profile.

“The caretaker government will not tolerate any violence or any attempt to break law and order in the country,” the post added.

Later, Councilor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain said that the law enforcers will take severe action if any organization linked to the mass murders tries to carry out any political programme.

He made the remarks in a post on his verified Facebook account yesterday, in the backdrop of the first demonstration organized by the Awami League (AL) in the city today since its ouster on August 5 following a mass student-led uprising.

On 10 November 1987, Noor Hossain, a leader of the Jubo Awami League, was killed in police firing while protesting against the then autocratic rule of General HM Ershad at the capital’s Ground Zero near Gulistan.