Execute Molla verdict before Dec 16: Mancha

Shahbagh's Ganajagaran Mancha has demanded execution of war crimes convict Abdul Quader Molla's death verdict before the Victory Day.

The Jamaat-e-Islami leader's 'lenient' life sentence in February had triggered a mass uprising dubbed as the 'Bangla Spring' in Dhaka that eventually spread across Bangladesh.

A victory procession was taken out from Shahbagh on Sunday evening after the war crimes tribunal issued a death warrant for Molla.

The protesters, campaigning for maximum penalty for convicted war criminals, are demanding that the death sentence be carried out for the 'Butcher of Mirpur' -- as Molla was known during the Liberation War for his atrocities.

The platform's spokesperson Imran H Sarker told reporters that their primary demand was being fulfilled with the Jamaat leader's death warrant.

"Quader Molla's sentence must be executed before Dec 16. Only then will the whole country celebrate the Victory Day in complete joy," he noted.

Molla's party, a key member of the BNP-led Opposition, has called a nationwide shutdown for Monday.

The Jamaat's Liberation War-time role is being probed and the Supreme Court had cancelled its registration barring it from contesting the general elections.

Imran Sarker said the Ganajagaran Mancha would continue its demonstrations until all the war criminals were tried.