The protesting students’ main movement for quota reforms has completed and they have achieved a partial victory with the issuance of the gazette notification which prioritised merit in government job recruitments on 23 July, said the Sadharon Sikkharthi Mancha (General Students’ Platform) in a statement on Thursday.

The statement was signed by 91 students. Elian Kafi Pratik, a student of Dhaka University, signed it as a coordinator of the platform. “We participated in the general students’ movement across the country to demand quota reform and our rights since 3 July.

Many of our students martyred in the movement for their rights. We pray for peace of their souls and the speedy recovery of those who were injured” said the statement.

The statement also said ordinary students were not involved in acts of arson, violence and vandalism. The Anti-discrimination Students’ Movement does not support such activities. It has nothing to do with those who used the banner of the Anti-discrimination Students’ Movement to achieve political gains and cause irreparable damages to state properties and lives.

The students said, “Many innocent students have been affected, killed and injured during this agitation. We demand that those who used force on ordinary students be investigated and brought to justice. We demand that the government provide proper treatment to the injured and appropriate compensation to the families of the deceased students.”

In order to bring back a peaceful environment in the campus, the Dhaka University administration should quickly implement the circular that was published on 23 July with the aim of providing security to the students and starting the education activities quickly. Educational institutions across the country should be opened immediately to bring back the learning environment, they added.

They also demanded that the ordinary students who had staged non-violent protests should not be harassed and the cases filed against them should be withdrawn.