War crimes protest is spontaneous

“Nobody has come here on hire,” said middle-aged ‘Mohsin’, seeing the mammoth human gathering at the city’s Shahbagh, demanding the death penalty for the ‘war criminals’.

He said: “There are precedents of hiring people for public meetings by both the Awami League and BNP. But I can say it for sure that nobody here needs to be hired.”

Mohsin was joined by another person, who remarked: “No money needs to be given for this gathering.”

Hearing the comments, the Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, for the Ramna Zone, Shibli Noman, who was standing beside them, said: “The two persons are very right to make the remarks.”

Shahbagh turned into a human sea as thousands of people converged at the intersection and adjoining roads to raise the demand for death penalty of Jamaat-e-Islami Acting Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla, already sentenced to life term in jail by the second international crimes tribunal, and other suspected war criminals.

People from different strata started gathering at Shahbagh from the capital and nearby places in processions. With the passage of time, the gathering spilled into Shishu Park, BSMMU, Institute of Fine Arts and Kataban areas.

Asked how many people might have gathered, a police detective said: “The number might be 250,000.”

About the security at the gathering, Noman told bdnews24.com that 12 platoons of police had been deployed at the venue and another 10 platoons kept reserved.

He said there were 600 plainclothes policemen at the gathering apart from members of RAB (Rapid Action Battalion) and SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics).

An internet activist body, Blogger and Online Activist Forum, rejected the verdict as ‘too light’ hours after the judgement on Molla was delivered and called for a protest at Shahbagh.

Later, thousands of people joined the protest. The sit-in protest continued for the fourth consecutive day Friday, when a grand gathering was arranged.