May 7, 2013
Press statement
Odhikar condemns the indiscriminate killing of hundreds of unarmed Hefazate
Islam activists and curtailing media freedom
On May 6, 2013 at around 2:30 am, a reported 10 thousand members of police, Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), along with the armed cadres of the ruling
party, attacked thousands of leaders and activists of Hefazate Islam Bangladesh, a non-political
religious group, at Shapla Chottor, Motijheel in the Capital. The demonstrators gathered at the
Shapla Chottor after their ‘Dhaka blockade’ programme, with the permission of the government,
for a public meeting.
That night, the law enforcement agencies began by removing media people from the area and
shutting down the power supply. They opened fire in the dark with live ammunition, rubbercoated steel bullets and threw tear gas shells and sound grenades indiscriminately at the unarmed
leaders and activists of Hefazate Islam, many of whom were sleeping after the day-long
programme.
It was obvious that they wanted to hide the brutality of the operation and the numbers of dead
and injured. It has been reported that hundreds of people were killed as a result of this attack.
Hefazate Islam claimed that more than 2000 people were killed and thousands were injured.
Odhikar is trying to ascertain the actual number of deaths, but it is very difficult at this stage
without substantial evidence. Despite this, the nature of the operation and the information
received so far from the survivors, shows that the number could be very large.
One of the injured persons, Rahmatullah, who was admitted to the Dhaka Medical College
Hospital for treatment, informed Odhikar that he saw many dead bodies lying on street after the
attack by law-enforcing agents. It has also been alleged that members of the law-enforcing
agencies took away bodies from the spot by trucks and covered vans. The state-sponsored TV
channel Bangladesh Television (BTV) and private TV channels and newspapers, (most of the
owners belonging or supporting to the ruling party), are silent in this regard. The Government
closed down two private television channels named Diganta TV and Islamic TV at 4:30 am on
May 6 due to their airing of the scene of the night-time operation.
Hefazate Islam activists brought out protest rallies against the blanket attacks and killings later
on May 6 at Kanchpur in Narayanganj, Hathazari in Chittagong and Fakirhat in Bagerhat Tel: +880 2 9888587, Fax: +880 2 9886208, Email: [email protected], [email protected] Website: www.odhikar.org
districts, where clashes also took place between them and the police. At least 27 people were
reported killed, including one BGB member and two policemen.
It is to be mentioned that clashes also occurred between the activists of Hefazate Islam and lawenforcing agents on May 5, when Hefazate Islam activists were heading peacefully towards
Motijheel to join the meeting from different areas (after completing the Dhaka blockade
programme). During this time, activists of the ruling party, along with police and RAB attacked
the Hefazate Islam activists – most of whom were from rural areas. According to various hospital
sources, at least 16 persons were reported killed and 200 others were injured during this clash.
Many vehicles were vandalised and political party offices, shops and buses set on fire. A large
number of Hefazate Islam leaders and activists continued their protests by remaining at Shapla
Chottor in Motijheel, in order to implement their 13 point demand.
Odhikar expresses grave concern over this killing spree. Odhikar believes that State repression
has reached the maximum mark, causing a dangerous and unstable situation in Bangladesh. This
is the first incident of large-scale indiscriminate killing by state agencies in Dhaka city, after 42
years of the independence of Bangladesh. It is a practice that ruling party activists, along with
police, often attack activists of the opposition groups during hartals and blockade programmes
called by the Opposition with violent results; and this trend continues. Odhikar believes that the
duty of the State is to protect the human rights of its citizens and to ensure their fundamental
freedoms. The State has failed to ensure such rights; rather the State has resorted to killing,
torture and repression in order to silence the dissenting voices. Odhikar condemns such acts of
brutal and indiscriminate killing of the unarmed citizens by the state actors.
Source: Odhikar
If Hefazat activists are also regarded as human beings, the international bodies working on human rights and the right to a safe and secure life should put due pressure on the govt of Bangladesh for conducting an impartial probe into the unprecedented mass killing and well-planned misinformation and disinformation conducted in the small hours of May 6. Video footage showed who were mercilessly beating one or two stray Hefazat youths squirming on the ground and then after driving away all the media men (as we watched news scroll on Ekushey TV) from the vicinity of the south gate of Baitul Mukarram set ablaze the small shops. A judicial inquiry has been sought through a writ petition as we heard. But we are very much skeptical whether there will be any such inquiry because albeit suo motto ruling was issued on many trivial matters, no suo motto ruling was known or heard to conduct any judicial inquiry into the tragic mass killing and arson on the wee hours of May 6. And we claim that our judiciary are ‘independent’ and ‘free’. The wise say where conscience is chained justice must weep in the alleys and wilderness.