July 13, 2024: Protesters announce march towards Bangabhaban

On July 13, 2024, the Students Against Discrimination announced a fresh set of protest programmes, shifting their strategy from blockades to processions and symbolic marches. At a press conference held at Dhaka University, the organisers declared that students would march towards the Bangabhaban the following day to submit a memorandum to President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

Alongside this, students across the country would continue boycotting classes and examinations and submit memorandums to their respective deputy commissioners, urging them to forward the demands to the president.

Hasnat Abdullah, a student of Dhaka University and one of the coordinators of the movement, addressed the media, stating, "Tomorrow, we will march towards Bangabhaban. Students in districts will submit memorandums to their DCs as part of the coordinated programme."

Another organiser, Nahid Islam, criticised the government for its inaction and attempts at repression. "The government is making plans and preparations to suppress our movement. We have been protesting peacefully. It should have resolved the crisis through dialogue with students from the beginning. If anything goes wrong, the government must bear full responsibility," he said.

Amid these announcements, student leaders also turned their attention to Cumilla, where tensions had escalated following police firing on protesting students on July 11, 2024.

 Student coordinator Sarjis Alam, speaking at the press briefing, said, "Today, we—student representatives from Dhaka University, Jagannath University, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, and the Seven Colleges—visited Cumilla University. What happened there overshadowed all other incidents."

He added that they had gone there to hear directly from the protesting students and observe the situation firsthand. "We held a nearly two-hour-long meeting with police officials at the office of the superintendent of police. We made it clear that the students' concerns must be addressed, not silenced."

In another development, police filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station against unnamed protesters, accusing them of vandalising police vehicles and assaulting law enforcers during the Shahbagh demonstration on July 11. The case was filed by Khalilur Rahman, a driver with the transport department of Rajarbagh Police Lines.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) additional commissioner of the Detective Branch, Harun Or Rashid, said the police were investigating whether infiltrators were attempting to hijack the movement and steer it in a different direction.

Inside the ruling party, concerns appeared to be growing. During informal discussions held at the Awami League president's political office in Dhanmondi, some leaders reportedly acknowledged a growing wave of public support for the student protests. They warned that any further police crackdown would only deepen anti-government sentiment.