Shahbagh Protest
JAHANARA NURI, Writer and Film maker
Bangladesh, 27th Feb 2013.
It took a V sign, a verdict and a click on the mouse of a Laptop that stirred a nation's memories of unprecedented events of pain from 'hit, strike and betrayal'. `I shall not go to the Mosque until Jamat E Islam is banned, I shall pray at home, for if I go, among the congregated Muslims there will be Jamat E Islami's, there may be a bomb blast, I'll be killed, or as they took a student from the Mosque to their Procession, who never returned alive.' A student of 10th grade wrote this letter to the Bloggers & Online Activists Network in Bangladesh. His worry was in tune with the slogans of the Gono Zagoron Mancho set first at Shahbagh, and within three days in most of the cities and towns in the country. Their slogans ` Awake, Let us unite my country people' distinctly defined–a demand for a secular country. And to them first step towards achieving this was to right a wrong done forty two years back.
On the 5th of February, 2013, they begun by refusing the life sentence verdict for Kader Molla. And rose up with one demand- briefly the hanging of Kader - for the organized killing of more than 300 people at Mirpur-a locality where on 14th December 1971, Intellectuals arrested at gun point had been taken; hands bound, blindfolded, and shot dead by the Pakistan Army organized by the militia group, formed by the Jamat E Islam and its students wing The Islami Students Sangha. Four of the five crimes by the accused have been proved in the court, and, the protesters believe, the sentence did not match with the intensity and magnitude of the crimes committed.
Sun set, Night fell and the sun rose again, the protesters settled at Shahbagh square, first three days without sleep, and later more youths joined them to take turns to guide the mass voices to rise. The first nationwide gathering on the 9th locked the major part of the City, all young faces, till then the protesters were reluctant to give their space to anyone who may differ, student wings of different political parties came forward but were negotiated not to raise their party's agenda and stick to the `one demand one slogan' moral. Bangladeshis did not remember when they have seen such peaceful flow of mass events without a single incident of violence or harassment.
As events rolled on, mass awakening generated, creative responses joined; Government forced to find ways how to respond to the demands yet still a neutral stand about the trial being maintained. The Opposition Party by watched quietly, people kept rushing to Shahbagh and till midnight linking them to their center of gravity; the girls and boys shouting slogans tirelessly. On the Friday the 8th during weekend Shahbagh turned to a roaring sea of life and energy heightened by hoisting a huge national flag in the sky over their social & cultural congregation.
A letter was sent to the ongoing spring session at the Parliament house on the 10th, The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the parliamentarians in the session expressed solidarity with the youths. This was followed by drafting a bill correcting the Collaborator Act passed in 1972 which did acknowledge rights of the accused to appeal if he has objection to a verdict but it did not pronounce similar rights for the justice seeker. Protesters demanded that this be added to the act to maintain equal balance and the verdict be challenged by the state.
On Day 7, 12th February, entire nation halted and stood up, showed the strength of silence for 3 minutes commemorating the martyrs, Parliamentarians joined them from the sessions, those who could not come from home or workplaces. First time the opposition The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) expressed their worry about the unified one demand and next day announced that if they are in the power, will try those who committed crimes against Humanity. The roaring mass gathering changed its color to spectacular red and yellow in celebration of 1st day of spring on 13th February. Artists, painters begun traditional cultural programs. Each and every one with a new pace and tone than previous years, women with flowery headbands and garlands, men with new dress, shouting slogans, hands raised, head held high and a huge motif of Jahanara Imam, mother of a freedom fighter who raised demands for trial of war crimes marked the day. This day, the Parliament passed the draft bill and equal rights to appeal to the higher court achieved. With the first victory the movement called on to celebrate the Valentines' Day by `an awakening gathering' and lighting candles nationwide. Lacs of candles enlighten the evening not only at Shahbagh, but on top of offices, hospitals, over bridges, streets lit with Bangla words, numbers etc. In honor of a fourth grade staff of the central bank that was killed during the previous day's Hartal of Jamat E Islam, 1 minute silence was observed.
Though in the last 10 days the rising non-violent youths have passed their messages on to the nation and to the world singing songs shouting slogans that denote love, compassion, fearlessness and commitment for justice. Jamat has already been on street since the International War crimes Tribunal 1 & 2 has been established in 2010 and 2012, both the tribunals dealing with 8 accused,. In 2013, tension rose high with the first death sentence announced for Moalana Abul Kalam Azad, in January.
Andrew Biraj/Reuters: Protesters in Dhaka raised their hands for three minutes of silence Tuesday, demanding the execution of all war criminals < From NY Times>.
The youth protesters have used all possible social media to convey their messages in and abroad. Adding complexities to the scenario, Ahmed Rajib Haider, one of the organizers was chopped to death on the 15th February night. Violent online propaganda against him and his fellow bloggers began, which was responded by the biggest ever - Namaz Janaza held for Rajib by men, women and children. Threats of death sentence sent to the Imam who lead the Janaza, non-violence won over the pain, but the protesters returned to their 24 hour routine.
Elements kept on occurring to turn the fumes into a blaze. Millions of taka flowed to buy support abroad. A national Daily `Amar desh' took part in the propaganda. Jamat e Islam has called on hartal, people refused by walking to their work places, children to schools. Terror encountered the peace. The prayer mat of the central mosque was put on fire, the students wing of zamat came out of the Mosque with the identity of fellow religious groups and attacked journalists and police on duty; 17 journalists were injured in big cities, cameras broken, and several police killed. BNP supported this hartal and joined the counter current. Continued propaganda. Another organizer Shanto died of heart attack a couple of days later. By the 18th, legal barriers for the trial of Jamat E Islam as a group for war crimes were removed by the amendment of the 1972 Collaborators Act. This day all educational Institutes hoisted national as well as black flag mourning killing of Rajib, all the members of the police forces and other unknown passers-by during Jamat's hartal days.
On The 21st the Language Martyrs Day and The International Language Day, the protesters joined the human waves to Shaheed Minar, mass signature collection continued and in the late afternoon, carrying letters, hundreds of thousands of balloons flew to the stars symbolizing a communication of love & respect to the souls of the martyrs . Powerful waves of youth, mesmerized people from all walks of life including their families to join the protest. Every day their numbers are increasing, heads covered and hands painted by national flags, poets reading poems, freedom fighters tuning with the voices of new generations, intellectuals and artists in solidarity. Activists of various political groups were allowed this time only to express solidarity. On the 22nd February morning the nation woke up to see several of the Shaheed Minars damaged, flowers burnt to ashes, followed by a procession of the religious extremists rushing to fight the protesters at Shahbagh. Online propaganda invited the Muslims for jihad against the protesters and anyone who support them. In 3 days more than one and half lacs people signed on the petition that will be taken to the parliamentarians.
The protesters maintained calm stayed tenacious carrying on their plan to organize mass gatherings at different places in the country.
The organizers of the `Gano Zagoron Moncho' was termed`aethist', `Anti-Islamic'. Activist Bloggers identified a blog which had been opened in Rajib's name containing blogs with extreme negativity about The Prophet (peace be on him) and searched out that the blog was activated after Rajib was killed. Made up videos went out inviting Muslim brotherhood in a fashion that can be termed-an undeclared jihad- online and on street. The activists made it clear that their battle was not against religion, they demand extreme punishment for war crimes and crimes against humanity. While five of the leaders of Jamat are put to trial the accused group declared them innocent of war crimes and demanded abolishment of the Court. Other Islamic groups, Olama Mashaekhs refused Jamat's claim and stood for the protest. On the 26th February night the Ekushey book fare was set on fire and around 40 stalls including books burnt to ashes.
In response, protesters marched on streets assembling in around the places where mass killing had been committed by The Pakistani Army. First they have assembled at Rayer Bazar near the Memorials of the martyred intellectuals. They took oath not to return home until justice is ensured, until Jamat E Islam is banned from Politics and tried, and promised to boycott all economic, social and educational institutions operated by the group.
On the 20th day by spreading the spirit from Shahbagh, unprecedented waves of youths, students rallied, children, working women and housewives, even babies, marched to Mirpur 10 Square, a locality 5 km from the Parliament house where crimes of Kader Molla had been witnessed by local inhabitants in 1971.
Today the 22nd day of the Movement, the youth kept roaring at the square of Motijheel Shapla Cattar, the biggest commercial location in Dhaka. They form a major part of the present population in Bangladesh. They carry the spirit of the emotion that engulfed their parental generations that waged the nation millions of lives and reportedly more than 3 lacs of rape. And on the victory Day, the 16th December, it was literally a beginning from the ashes of the fire of a war that they did not cause to occur.
As the setting sun spreads its salute to the memorials at the mass graves of Dhaka City, the nation awaits for verdict number 3, of Delwar Hossain Sayedee, tomorrow the 23rd day of the Mass movement, Jamat has called for hartal again, and the new Bengalis in Bangladesh, sit in protest, roaring ` Joy Bangla' a slogan that denotes love, respect, commitment but anger too. The rising youth, Hundreds of thousands all over Bangladesh, today wait to hear if the Government and other nation states will stand beside peace or terror.
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