The protest meeting was moderated by journalist Maksudul Haque Imu and began with a minute of silence to honour the martyrs of the anti-discrimination student movement. The gathering was marked by strong condemnations of the vandalism and attacks on cultural venues, as well as the targeted attack on the residence of musical artiste Rahul Anand, known for his involvement with the student movement.

Following the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation on August 5, she has left Bangladesh and is now residing in India. The aftermath has seen nationwide celebrations, which was quickly overshadowed by widespread violence and destruction. Addressing the recent state of affairs in Bangladesh, Kolkata actor Parambrata Chattopadhyay broke his silence in an article published by Anandabazar.

It is time for us to be vigilant on all fronts, it’s so much harder to protect freedom than to achieve it.

In such challenging times, when protesters and civilians were indiscriminately killed, wholesale arrests, block raids, and a nationwide internet shutdown violated citizens' fundamental rights, keeping the nation on edge for weeks– only a few had the courage to raise their voices against the oppression and injustice.

Comments from Shahbhag on August 5, 2024.

If the ruling party leaders don’t understand or pretend not to understand why students are not staying back at home (their campuses and dormitories remain shuttered), we are in much deeper trouble than one could imagine

Under the platform titled “Artistes Against Genocide and Oppression”, a diverse group comprising visual artistes, photographers, performance artistes, musicians, poets, writers, researchers, architects, and art organisers, organised this rally of resistance. Their gathering was a response to the recent turmoil surrounding the quota reform protests, which have led to wholesale arrests and indiscriminate killings.