Youths take lesson from the history
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.â€
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.â€
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.â€
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.â€
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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