'Form anti-Jamaat brigades everywhere'

Leaders of several students organisations at the Ganajagaran Mancha rally in the capital's Jatrabari on Tuesday urged the people to form brigades at every area and neighbourhood around the country to resist Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir from carrying out violent activities.

Their call came at the rally of tens of thousands held amid the opposition BNP enforced countrywide daylong shutdown.

This was the fifth rally, organised by the demonstrators from Shahbagh’s Ganajagaran Mancha across the capital Dhaka and outside the Shahbagh intersection, where it all started. The previous ones were held at Rayerbazar Mass Killing Ground, Mirpur-10, Motijheel and Old Dhaka’s Bahadur Shah park areas over the past few days.

After the rally, kicked off at 4pm with the national anthem, the student leaders urged the people to form committees, groups and brigades in their own neighbourhoods to thwart the Jamaat and Shibir.

Earlier, tens of thousands of people had assembled at Jatrabari after 3pm to join the rally where the main stage was made with two adjoining trucks, like the previous rallies.

People from all walks of life came with national flags and all were chanting slogans demanding that all the war criminals be hanged.

Bloggers Dr Rashidul Hasan and Khan Asaduzzaman Masum moderated the programme while Ganajagaran Mancha spokesperson Imran H Sarker inaugurated the rally by thanking all who joined.

Meanwhile, the security measures and surveillance of the law enforcement agencies in and around the rally area were flawless.

At the rally, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) General Secretary Siddiqui Nazmul Alam alleged that Jamaat-e-Islami was trying to destabilise the country by provoking to destroy the communal harmony.

“Build resistance against Jamaat and Shibir. You wouldn’t have to come to Shahbagh [for this],” he added.

Nazmul said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia openly sided with the war criminals by not expressing solidarity with the Ganajagaran Mancha at Shabagh.

Bangladesh Samajtantrik Chhatra Front General Secretary Mehedi Hasan Tomal said, “Jamaat is out to destroy democracy. They are trying to take the people hostage by enforcing shutdowns.”

“The time has come to resist them. The youth will go forward by removing all obstructions.”

SM Shuvo, President of Bangladesh Students Union, vowed to continue with their movement until all war criminals are awarded death sentences.

“The gathering of thousands in this Ganajagaran Mancha rally proves that the people of Bangladesh want the war criminals be tried and they don't want to see Jamaat in Bangladesh’s politics. Resistance must be built wherever Jamaat is active,” he said.

Shvuo also urged to make Jatrabari a ‘Jamaat-Shibir free’ area of the capital.

People supported him with huge round of applause when he described Jamaat as the ‘enemy of the people’,

Among others, BCL President HM Badiuzzaman Sohag, Bangladesh Chhatra Maitri General Secretary Tanvir Rushmat, Bangladesh Chhatra Andolan Acting General Secretary Nazrul Shikder and Biplabi Chhatra Shanghoti President Mir Rezaul Alam also addressed the rally.