Demonstrations asking for death penalty for Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Molla continued on Wednesday at Dhaka’s busy Shahbagh intersection amidst a nationwide general strike by the Jamaat-e-Islami.
The protestors have been demonstrating at the Shahbagh intersection since Tuesday evening, after the war crimes tribunal ordered life imprisonment for Molla for ‘crimes against humanity’ during the 1971 Liberation War.
bnews24.com Correspondent Tanjir Rahman reports that most of the protestors at Shahbag are young people who had put up an effigy of Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Quader Molla at the centre of gathering and four other effigies at as many signal points of the intersection.
They were waiting for more people to gather before burning them, Rahman said.
Roads leading to Shahbagh from Matsha Bhaban and Ruposhi Bangla Hotel were blocked with no traffic passing through them.
Thousands of people burst into the streets in protest against the verdict of Molla because they felt the punishment was too light. Hours after the verdict was read out at the tribunal, people from all walks of life assembled at the Shahbagh intersection since Tuesday afternoon.
bdnews24.com Correspondent Suliman Niloy said the Bangladesh Chhatra League had mobilised their supporters from the Dhaka university to swell the ranks of the protestors at Shahbagh.
The sit-in protest, which had started around 5pm in front of the National Museum, grew into a huge gathering within a few hours, as messages circulated through the social networking sites.
The protestors were singing, reciting poems, raising slogans, screening films and making speeches.
They promised not to budge until their demand for hanging Molla for the crimes in 1971 was materialised.
Several ministers of the government, leaders of many political parties and organisations have also thrown their weight behind the demonstrations led by the young people.
Jatiyatabadi Samajtantrik Dal (JaSad) President and Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said, “I am a freedom fighter. Quader Molla was sentenced to death in the mock trials in the Jahanara Imam-led Gonoadalot (Court of the People), only 500 yards from here.”
“Why did he get life imprisonment today? I reject this verdict. We do not accept this verdict. I reject this as a freedom fighter, even if I am a minister or whatever.”
Communist Party of Bangladesh President Mujahidul Islam Selim said they would demonstrate on Wednesday in the streets starting from Central Shaheed Minar to Bahadur Shah Park over the same demand.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced Molla to life imprisonment for committing crimes against humanity during the War of Independence in 1971. He was found guilty in five among six charges of crimes.
Freedom fighters, organisations and parties who have been demanding justice have expressed displeasure at the verdict.
At first, hours after the verdict was delivered, a human-chain protest was held in front of the National Museum at around 5pm demanding death for Molla.
But a huge number of youths started heading towards Shahbagh from far and wide of the capital after the news of human chain was out on Facebook and other social networking websites.
“We reject the tribunal’s verdict,” Mahmudul Haque Munsi, member of the Blogger and Online Activist Network which started the protest, told bdnews24.com. “We would not turn back from the streets until Quader Molla gets death sentence.”
Munsi said the verdict had betrayed three million martyrs and 200,000 daughter and mothers of the land violated during the War of Independence.
The demonstrator wondered why the Jamaat leader was given life term instead of a death sentence as “it was proven that Molla had murdered hundreds”.
He said their preliminary plan was to take out processions and stage rallies, but the blockade took place as everyone demanded.
Another demonstrator, Imran H Sarker, said they would stay overnight at Shahbag and continue the siege, but would not return home until Molla is handed down the death sentence.
Meanwhile, Slogan-71, an organisation of Dhaka University, took out a torch procession in the evening over the same demand. The procession joined the demonstration at Shahbag after marching down the DU campus streets.
The air at Shahbagh was filled with chants while the legendary mass music ‘Bicharpoti tomar bichar korbe jara, aj jegeche sei janata’ (‘O Justice, the people who will try you have risen now’) was sung many times.
Dhaka University Film Society (DUFS) also set up a big screen and showed several films based on the Liberation War including ‘Stop Genocide’, ‘Muktir Gaan’, ‘Aguner Parashmoni’, ‘Al-Badr’ and ‘Agami’ and many more.
DUFS President Ariful Islam told bdnews24.com they would keep screening movies as long as the demonstration continued.
Students of the Faculty of Fine Arts drew mock images of Razakars on long plain white cloths.
Protestors were also seen collecting money among themselves to arrange for dinner.
Since evening, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Mizanur Rahman, JaSaD chief Inu, former CPB President Monjurul Ahsan Khan, current President Selim, Ganaforum leader Pankaj Bhattyacharya, first Bangladeshi conqueror of Mount Everest Musa Ibrahim, Bangladesh Chhatra League President Badiuzzaman Sohag and General Secretary Siddiqui Nazmul Alam and Student Union President SM Shuvo have addressed the demonstrators, among others.
The NHRC Chairman said, “This verdict has failed to meet the people’s expectation. The people are disappointed.”
He hoped Molla will get death sentence after the High Court was moved.
Monjurul Ahsan Khan urged everyone to join the ‘new war of independence’ 41 years after the first one.
Selim said, “Everyone sees only two parties of this verdict. The prosecution and the defence. But there is another party on behalf of the 3,000,000 martyrs. Their souls are crying for justice. If justice cannot be ensured, the least achievement of the Liberation War will fizzle out.”
“I have spoken to various organisations including the Sammilito Sangskritik Jote. We will demonstrate in the areas starting from Shaheed Minar to Bahadur Shah Park tomorrow (Wednesday). We will prove that 95 percent people of the country want death sentence for the Razakars.”
Pankaj Bhattyacharya, one of the organisers of the Liberation War, described the youths as ‘freedom fighters of this generation’