The uprising was the result of a series of popular protests that started from 10 October 1990 to topple General Ershad who came to power in 1982 by imposing martial law and replaced a democratically elected president, Abdus Sattar through a bloodless coup.

[1] The uprising is marked as the starting point of parliamentary democracy in Bangladesh after nine years of military rule and paved the way for a credible election in 1991.

Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General H. M. Ershad extended his support to the acting President Sattar.

However, General Ershad expressed in an interview with The Guardian that the military should have a defined role within the government and civil administration, a viewpoint that was rejected by the President.

The leaders of two major alliances of the time Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina decided to move for a unified movement against the Ershad regime after a meeting on 28 October 1987 at Mahakhali of the capital.

The movement reached a new peak in 1987 after the death of Nur Hossain who died during a police firing on a Jubo League rally.

But eventually the movement in 1987–88 did not see much success due to the repressive measures from the government like the frequent house arrests of Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.

[6][7] DUCSU leaders and their followers, mostly Chatra Dal men, began holding rallies and sit-in programs in the campus area in 1990 in protest against the Ershad regime.

The huge activist pool of Chatra Dal started participating in political programs declared by the three alliances from September 1990.

While passing the Teacher-Students Centre – TSC intersection of the University of Dhaka, physician Shamsul Alam Khan Milon was shot by the Jatiya Party cadres and later died.

The declaration included the idea of a caretaker government that would take over after the fall of Ershad and would hold a free and fair election within 90 days of its arrival to power.

Hundreds of students from the university campus locked into a battle with police while advancing towards Minister's colony at Mintoo Road area.

Around one hundred students injured The three alliances provide a road-map for the handover of power in a joint declaration 24 hours long nationwide strike observed by the three alliances, claimed two lives leaving hundreds injured Residence of Begum Khaleda Zia came under attack during the strike The student body on 21 November held another procession and locked in a clash with police[11] Dr. Shamsul Alam Khan Milon killed by Jatiya Party (Ershad) cadres in the university campus Censorship imposed on the newspapers enabling strict monitoring, newspaper owners and journalists decided not to publish newspapers from the very next day Ershad declares state of emergency, curfew imposed Students defy curfew, stick-welding students hold rowdy processions all around the capital Opposition leaders address a rally at Shahid Minar Railway blocked at Malibagh, driver flee leaving the train on the line All the teachers of the University of Dhaka led by the Vice-Chancellor M. Maniruzzaman Miah declared to resign from their post and would not return to classes until the resignation of Ershad In the Mirpur area of the capital, the BDR (now Border Guards Bangladesh) opened fire on a crowd that was rallying in support of nationwide shutdown called by the opposition parties that claimed five lives.