Hefajat-e-Islam, an organisation of teachers and students of madrasas emerged in the arena of politics in February 2013 with a 13 point charter of demand. Their objective is to establish a Taliban type government in Bangladesh. To draw attention to their 13- point demand Hefajat arranged a huge gathering with the support of Jamaat and BNP at Shapla Square, the financial district of the country.
Hefajat, Jamaat and BNP claimed that law enforcing agencies killed thousands of 'Alems'  to disperse their rally on May 5 night in order to clear the siege laid by them at Shapla Square. By circulating politically motivated and exaggerated news the Hefajat-Jamaat-BNP trio sought to create a smokescreen to cover the violence, destruction and killing resorted to by Jamaat-Hefajat workers and gain sympathy at home and abroad. This move was also intended to malign Bangladesh's image at international level and collect funds from Middle East in the name of so-called martyrs and 'saving Islam.'
As the rally raised various questions including the actual number of casualties in people's mind 'Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee'  formed a People's Commission under the leadership of Justice Syed Amirul Islam to find out what actually happened on May 5 evening, how many people were killed, how national security of the country was threatened by the rally, what is the real identity of Hefajat and what they really want.
After carrying out on-the-field investigations for five months and collecting relevant information and data from media reports and testimonies of eye witnesses, members of the victims' families, leaders of different Islamic organisations and human rights bodies, the Commission published a White Paper entitled “400 Days of Fundamentalist and Communal Violence of Hefajat-Jamaat” on November 8, 2013.
The White Paper has brought out facts along with evidence to depict the history of Hefajat, its complicity in militancy and so on. It also throws light on how more than five million Qawmi (private) madrasa students have been held captive by the leaders of militant organisations apart from showing how Qawmi madrasas function.
In order to achieve their goal of communalising politics, Jamaat-Hefajat utilised the media controlled by them to spread rumours, lies and half-truths with the motive of inciting people against the religious minorities. The rumours of the killing of thousands of Islamic scholars on May 5 were well orchestrated. This propaganda helped spread of communal hatred and violence across the country and also tarnished the image of Bangladesh abroad.
Although the Dhaka based national dailies put the number of casualties in clashes with the security forces at less than 50, Hefajat and Jamaat at first claimed that 3,000 of their activists were killed. Later they brought the figure down to 2,500. They also used social networking sites to circulate photographs of Haiti earthquake victims claiming them to be innocent victims of police atrocities at Shapla Square.  
To get an exact figure of deaths, the investigating team of People's Commission established contact with Hefajat. It transpired from Hefajat HQ that the outfit formed a 1,001-member committee to find out how many of its workers were killed during clashes with law enforcing agencies on that day. This committee has not been able to complete the list of persons killed even after two and half months. On August 6, 2013 Hefajat HQ e-mailed to People's Commission a list of 79 'martyrs' killed in police action on May 5 at Shapla Square.
In accordance with Hefajat-provided list along with addresses of persons killed, People's Commission team visited residences of persons killed in areas from Cox Bazar to Dinajpur to verify the information. It was found that 14 names were repeated two to three times. The list also included name of one who died due to heart failure. Even persons who died at Narayanganj and Chittagong on May 6 found place in the list. Five persons who figured in the list were found alive. After thoroughly scanning the list, only 34 out of 79 names mentioned were verified and found genuine. People's Commission team also visited the residence of 4 persons whose names appear in police record but not on Hefajat list. In addition, People's Commission gathered information about some deaths not on police record or Hefajat list.
After carrying out field level investigations and verifying police and Hefajat records, the investigation team confirmed 39 civilians deaths in Dhaka and the rest of the country, in clashes with the police on May 5 and 6. 20 graves have been identified and the whereabouts of the remaining 19 dead bodies is not known.
People's Commission team also recorded statements of eye witnesses and journalists who were on the spot and concluded that no Jamaat or Hefajat worker was killed at Shapla Square on May 5 in clashes with law enforcing forces. But a Hefajat worker who sustained injuries in police attack on that day, succumbed to injuries later.
The final list regarding May 5 and 6 clashes prepared by police puts the number of deaths of Hefajat cadres at 11, others at 11 and law enforcing personnel at 6.
After examining the casualty lists of Hefajat, Odhikar and Home Ministry, People's Commission found that Hefajat and Odhikar's lists are exaggerated and Home Ministry's list is incomplete.
People's Commission's investigation found names of 39 civilian and 6 members of law enforcing agencies who were killed in and outside Dhaka on May 5 and 6  in clashes between Hefajat-Jamaat cadres and the law enforcing agencies. Out of 39 civilians 20 belonged to Hefajat, five to BNP, five  to Jamaat, one to Awami League, two to Jatiyo Party, while six did not belong to any political party.
Conducting extensive investigation in more than one thousand madrasas, People's Commission found one Mohammad Suman whose name was not mentioned in Hefajat, Odhikar or Home Ministry's list. Suman was killed in crossfire between Hefajat-Jamaat cadres and law enforcing agencies on May 6 in Narayanganj.

The writer is Executive President, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee.