Asif Mahmud

Asif Mahmud is a human rights defender, a student of the Linguistics Department of Dhaka University, and one of the National Coordinators of the Students Against Discrimination Movement. The Students Against Discrimination Movement is a student led protest demanding reform of the quota system in government jobs in Bangladesh which started after the Supreme Court of Bangladesh ruling in June 2024 revived a 30% quota for descendants of freedom fighters. A total 56 percent of first and second class government jobs in Bangladesh entailed quotas. 30 percent of the total reserved for the descendants of ‘freedom fighters’. This quota has been widely criticised as a discriminatory system to access jobs that is allegedly used politically.

Asif Mahmud was allegedly abducted and tortured on 19 July 2024 and went through interrogation for four days until his release on 24 July 2024. On 26 July 2024, Asif Mahmud was taken from Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in Dhanmondi by individuals identifying themselves as personnel from various intelligence agencies, including the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch.