How can students of Ruqayyah hall call themselves Razakars: Asks PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday (July 15, 2024) slammed the female students of Dhaka University’s Ruqayyah Hall, who chanted slogans by calling themselves Razakars -collaborators of Pakistani forces in 1971.

“I felt sorry when I heard yesterday the students of Ruqayyah Hall calling themselves razakars. Do they know what had taken place there on March 25, 1971?  Some 300 girls were killed and 40 girls were raped and taken to the Pakistani camps,” she said.

The premier said this while addressing the signing ceremony of the Annual Performance Agreement (APA) of the ministries and divisions for the 2024-2025 fiscal year at Shapla Hall of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Citing several gruesome incidents carried out by the Pakistani forces in 1971, she said the female students didn’t see these oppressions on streets in 1971. “So, they don’t feel ashamed of calling themselves Razakars,” she added.

The PM said it is unfortunate that girls now chant such slogans. “What country are we in? What spirit do they believe in? What lessons did they learn? What did they learn? It is my question,” she added.

In the function, the APA Award for FY 2022-23 and Integrity Award for FY 2023-24 were distributed among the government offices for their excellent performance in APA implementation and rendering services respectively.