Jubilation at Shahbagh

People gathered at Shahbagh burst into cheers as the news of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee being awarded death sentence broke Thursday afternoon.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 gave the gallows verdict after eight of the 20 charges were proved.

Protestors have been staging demonstrations for almost a month demanding execution of all the convicted war criminals.

In immediate reaction to the Sayedee verdict, Ganajagaran Mancha spokesperson Imran H Sarker said, “We are dedicating this verdict to the sacrifice of the martyrs… We want everyone to come down to streets to celebrate the occasion that rids the nation of a black spot.”

Sarker made a call to continue the non-violent movement to ensure fair trial of those accused for crimes committed against humanity during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

Protests first erupted on Feb 5, hours after the ICT-2 pronounced life in prison for Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla. They said the sentence was ‘too little, too late’.

The Shahbagh protesters Thursday also went to the Central Shaheed Minar and paid their respects to the 1952 martyrs on the occasion. The entire road from the Shaheed Minar to the TSC was jam-packed with people.

They stayed at the Shaheed Minar for 15 minutes and returned to Shahbagh. They threw flowers in the air and treated each other with sweets in celebration. Many were seen holding aloft and waving the national flag.

Earlier in the day, thousands of people joined a Ganajagaran Mancha procession to foil the nationwide strike of the Jamaat-e-Islami.

Students of several educational institutions and people from a broad spectrum of society were seen in the procession that began at 10:50am.

Banners reading “foil Razakars’ strike” were seen at the procession and slogans called for execution of war criminals.

The Jamaat-e-Islami is identified with the Razakars, an auxiliary support force of the Pakistan army during the 1971 Liberation war.

A freedom fighter bearing the flag of ‘Muktijoddha Shangshad’ was seen leading the procession, followed by leaders of various cultural institutions and bloggers.

The procession marched through Matsya Bhaban, Paltan, Kakrail, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Mogbazar and Ruposhi Bangla roads before returning to Shahbagh.

At 11:00am, the procession crossed the Jamaat headquarters in Mogbazar.

People throughout the city cheered the procession from both sides of the roads. The length of the procession only increased as it moved on.