The Razakar dilemma

While there is no question about the spontaneity that led to the creation of Ganajagaran Mancha and the initial momentum it gained, it is now safe to say that it has been lost and the mancha has become a platform mired in politics. In a nutshell it appears to have become a political tool. The initial mobilisation in Shahbagh was impressive to say the least and their message was loud and clear – a two-fold demand including hanging of war criminals and ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Shibir.

Recently, we have also witnessed a counter-mobilisation by Hefazat-e Islam, which was unique because of its sheer size and organization. Their initial and core demand was hanging of the bloggers, allegedly linked to Shahbagh, who desecrated the Prophet Mohammed (SM) in their writings and are propagating an anti-Islamic agenda. Hefazat-e Islam later on presented a 13-point demand to the government. However, none of their demands pertained to the war crimes tribunal or objected to any of the demands put forward by Ganajagaran Mancha. Hence, it was rather frustrating to see Ganajagaran Mancha call a strike to resist the march into the capital city organized by the Islamic outfit and consequently ended up owning the bloggers in question. Once people start to believe that their religious faith is under threat and being mocked, everything else takes a backseat. With this one particular lapse of judgement, the platform, Ganajagaran Mancha has put its entire effort in jeopardy.

While the mancha is demanding death penalty for war criminals/Razakars it should be mentioned that only nine of them are in custody. Three have been convicted while six awaits verdict. In a Liberation War where nearly three million people were butchered, the Razakars definitely number in excess of nine. The mancha seems to exist only to demand maximum punishment for those identified and apprehended by the government whereas no call has been made so far for further arrests and greater justice.

It is absolutely naive to even think that Razakars only exist within one party. Over a period in excess of 40 years, Razakars have been rehabilitated across the political and social spectrum. However, there has not been a definitive call for uprooting of Razakars across the board and visibly a single party has been labelled as the sole agent for war criminals. This automatically sets a precedent for political witch hunt and ruthless marginalization. Furthermore, a demand for ban on Jamaat/Shibir has made Ganajagaran Mancha a target of Islamic outfits as it reflects the government's intention to neutralize a certain political stream. Anyone still arguing that the Ganajagaran Mancha does not have a political facet is grossly mistaken.  With its incessant call for banning of Jamaat and staunch disposition towards resisting the Islamic alliance within the country, the mancha has allowed itself to be politically manipulated.

If the punishment of war criminals was its primary objective then Ganojagaran Mancha's campaign should have constituted a long term programme until all Razakars were brought to justice rather than just calling for the heads of a few. At best it is a short term proposition and can also be labelled as a cop out. It should also be noted that at one point, the face of Ganajagaran Mancha, Imran H Sarker even claimed that the platform itself is stronger than the government. Interestingly, the government let that one slide although such a statement is unwarranted given the fact that the government carries the mandate of the people and nothing can be equalled to its status. This is yet another example of the mancha displaying its political dimension.

It seems that at some point Ganajagaran Mancha lost its focus and started fighting someone else's battle. It gave the liberals hope but at the same time underestimated the religious sentiments that exist within our country. They did not consciously attempt to dissociate themselves from the bloggers who were accused of actively maligning the religion of Islam and its Prophet. Their stance on war crimes is simply limited to asking for death penalty for those arrested ones and nothing more. While countless Razakars continue to live among us there is no reason to think that death penalty for nine will cleanse the nation. If we are to rid our beloved country of war criminals, a much more resourceful campaign is required. Something that is way beyond Ganajagaran Mancha.

Shahbagh when it happened had its novelty and it also had its use but it failed to capitalise on its true potential. Furthermore, it has ignited a mobilisation of Islamic forces which were otherwise dormant. There is no reason to underestimate this force given its conviction and propensity to endure. Saying that, Ganajagaran Mancha can still regain its credibility if their campaign involves pushing the government for apprehension of Razakars across political and social distribution and it should just stay focused on this, much like the original Shahbagh spirit.

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Israfil Khosru is a businessman and runs a youth led think tank called The Bangladeshi.