People line up along Manik Mia Avenue yesterday displaying an effigy of political terrorist and a banner with signatures of about one lakh people protesting the killing of former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria. PHOTO: STAR

Hundreds of people yesterday lined up in front of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban holding a giant banner inscribed with more than 100,000 signatures to protest the killing of former minister Shah AMS Kibria and political violence in the country.

The protestors displayed the about two kilometres long banner made sewing together 600 white pieces of cloth on which people from home and abroad put their signatures in red ink expressing their solidarity with the unique protest.

Apart from the family members of the slain leader, leading intellectuals, opposition lawmakers and politicians, freedom fighters, cultural and human rights activists, lawyers, teachers and other professionals, students, development workers, housewives and commoners joined the silent protest from 4:00pm to 6:00pm on the Manik Mia Avenue.

Many participants wore blue dresses and headbands, and carried blue flags symbolising the slogan -- 'Blue for Peace' while many others held portraits of Kibria along with the banner titled Rokter Okkhore Shopother Shakkhor (a vow in bloodstained letters).

Shah AMS Kibria, also a lawmaker of Awami League, was killed along with four others in a grenade attack in his hometown Habiganj on January 27. The police recently submitted chargesheet accusing 10 BNP leaders and workers of the killing.

The human chain stretched the entire Manik Mia Avenue and the east side of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban as police did not allow the protestors to stand on the Rokeya Sarani as the prime minister was scheduled to use the road on her way to Mirpur.

Asma Kibria, widow of the slain leader, and leading opposition leaders and intellectuals stood under a separate banner inscribed with the slogans -- "Why death of lawmakers in this way? Why is the Jatiya Sangsad silent?"

"I am highly encouraged seeing such a big gathering," Asma told newsmen during the demonstration. "People are with us to raise the demand for putting an end to the political violence in Bangladesh," added Asma, also an eminent artist.

Eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain who joined the protest said, "We are here to demand an effective investigation and bring the culprits to justice."

"The government should co-operate the foreign investigators of the killing (of Kibria) so that they can investigate it independently," he said.

Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, president of Dhaka University Teachers Association, during the protest said if the government has the minimum respect for democracy it should respond to the people's concern.

"People will not go for agitation programmes like hartal if government responds to such peaceful way of protest," he told newsmen.

Syed Shamsul Haque, Ramendu Majumder and Quazi Aref from an open truck recited poems during the two-hour protest.

Writer Shahriar Kabir, barrister Amir-Ul Islam, former foreign secretary Faruk Chowdhury, architect Robiul Hussain and former Dhaka University vice chancellor Prof AK Azad Chowdhury, among others, joined the protest.

An effigy of a political terrorist was placed at the venue of the programme.

Awami League leaders Syeda Johra Tajuddin, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Abdul Jalil, Obaidul Quader, Kazi Zafarullah, Abdus Shahid, Faruk Khan, Gono Forum leader Saifuddin Ahmed Manik and Workers Party leader Rashed Khan Menon also participated in the demonstration.