BANGLADESH NEWS
The historic ground of Bahadur Shah Park, where the mutineers of the
1857 Sepoy Rebellion were publicly hanged, yesterday resounded with the
slogans of the new generation protesters who resolved to build a country
based on the values of the Liberation War.
Condemning the latest
surge of violence instigated by Jamaat-Shibir and the loss of lives
around the country, the protesters described the six policemen and three
former Chhatra League men who got killed till Saturday in the violence
as “martyrs” of the Shahbagh movement.
People from all walks of
life, including lawyers, businessmen, students and parents with their
children, attended the rally in Old Dhaka braving the countrywide
violence amid the 60-hour hartal being enforced by Jamaat and its ally
BNP.
Speakers at the rally urged the people to stand up against
fundamentalists and extremists to end the culture of impunity the
Jamaat-Shibir enjoyed over the decades since independence in 1971.
They also denounced the attacks on minority communities in parts of the country.
“We
have clearly stated that this politics of killing must stop at once,”
said Imran H Sarker, the spokesperson for the Shahbagh movement.
Referring
to the martyrs of the Sepoy Mutiny, Imran said, “We take our lessons
from history to carry on our movement. We take lessons from the
revolutionaries of Bangladesh.”
In response to the allegations
from some quarters that the protest is being influenced by certain
powers, Imran said, “Of course, we are being influenced ... we are being
influenced by the martyrs, by the ones who you killed in 1971.”
On
the question raised by some other quarters if Shahbagh was more
powerful than the government, he said: “It is Shahbagh that votes and
brings a government to power. Shahbagh is 16 crore people who give the
responsibility for running the country.”
He strongly criticised
those who are “trying to confuse the people of the country through press
conferences and TV talk shows” and urged them to stop such efforts.
“Stop trying to spread propaganda about the people's movement.”
As
part of its nationwide programmes announced on February 21, there will
be a grand rally at Jatrabari in the capital at 3:00pm tomorrow and at
Suhrawardy Udyan at the same time on March 7.
Commemorating the
International Women's Day on March 8, there will be a rally held at the
Projonmo Chattar under the banner of “Nari Gonojagoron Mancha,” Imran
said, urging all progressive women organisations and groups to join the
movement that began on February 5 demanding capital punishment to all
war criminals.
Women had not only been at the forefront of the
Liberation War, they have also been an integral part of the Shahbagh
movement, he said, adding that women would conduct the March 8 rally.
The
first day of the 60-hour shutdown yesterday made no impact on the
anti-hartal demonstrations with people spontaneously responding to the
call from the Shahbagh protesters to denounce the Jamaat-Shibir and BNP
shutdown.
Several thousand protesters brought out an anti-hartal
procession from Shahbagh around 11:15am. The hour-long peaceful
procession paraded through Kataban, Nilkhet, Palashi, Chankharpul, Doel
Chattar and Buet before returning to the intersection.
People at different points chanted anti-hartal slogans with the protesters.
Also
yesterday, leaders of Olama Mashayekh Oikya Jote joined the protest
around 12:30pm and expressed solidarity with the demonstrators.
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