Sometime Become Over crazy........
Remember Tahrir Square? The legendary Egyptian Revolution in 2011 against the then president Hosni Mubarak? Sitting in the middle of Dhaka, Bangladesh, We are sensing another Tahrir Square in Bangladesh, right in Shahbag, Dhaka. The cry of "Joy Bangla" pierces the air, the word "joy" stretched out like a rubber band and "Bangla" crashing on seashore like a wave. The 2013 Shahbag protests, associated with a central neighborhood of Dhaka, Bangladesh, began on February 5, 2013 and later spread to other parts of Bangladesh, as people demanded capital punishment for Abdul Quader Mollah, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment, and for others convicted of war crimes by the International Crimes Tribunal. On that day, the International Crimes Tribunal had sentenced Abdul Quader Mollah to life in prison after he was convicted on five of six counts of war crimes. Protesters considered Mollah's sentence too lenient, given his crimes. Bloggers and online activists called for additional protests at Shahbag. Tens of thousands of people joined the demonstration, which gave rise to protests across the country. By mid-April, their numbers had declined, and the original protest site is now clear. It is not only Bangladeshi men who are occupying the capital city Dhaka's Shahbag intersection demanding capital punishment for war criminals. The protests have seen extraordinary participation by women. Students, working professionals, and mothers accompanied by their young children have all lent their voice to the Shahbag protests, a movement spearheaded by bloggers and online activists which is seeking the death penalty for those who committed crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Oath: The Voice of “71 We swear an oath that the leadership of the mass of people from the Gonojagaran Mancha (National Awakening Stage) will continue the movement from Teknaf to Tetulia until capital punishment is handed down to those Razakar and Al-Badr members who committed crimes against humanity like mass killing and rape in 1971. We take the oath that we will remain vocal, both on the streets and online, until the politics of the war criminals is. We further take the oath that we will continue this demonstration and keep demanding trials, under a special tribunal, of those Razakars and Al-Badr activists who were convicted, and under trial, but freed after 1975. We swear that we will boycott the war criminals' business. We know through these they collect money to continue with their anti-liberation activities. We will also boycott the academic and cultural organizations through which they are spreading anti-liberation sentiments among the children. In brief, we will work for banning all the business, social and cultural organizations belonging to Razakars and Al-Badr activists. We swear that we will boycott war criminals' mass media. We will not subscribe to the newspapers of the war criminals at any office or house. At the same time, we request the pro-liberation mass media to boycott the war criminals and their accomplices. UNREST An estimated 200,000 to 3 million people were killed by the Pakistani army and approximately 250,000 women were raped during the war. Local political and religious militia groups such as Razakar, Al Badr, and Al-Shams, many of whom were also members of the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami, aided Pakistani soldiers in killing, particularly targeting Hindus. The International Crimes Tribunal was formed 42 years after the war to bring perpetrators of these terrible wartime crimes to justice. The tribunal's first verdicts were handed down against Abul Kalam Azad, known as “Bachchu Razakar”, who was sentenced to death late last month, and Abdul Quader Mollah, known as “Butcher” to the Bengalis in the outskirts of Dhaka, who was sentenced to life in prison for murder, rape, torture, and other crimes. People have taken to the streets demanding that Mollah and other war criminals be put to death, fearing that if they are imprisoned, they may be released after a regime change. Protest began right after the verdict was announced. Student organizations started the protest immediately after the Judgment in the Shahbag square that was the actual call for people to gather in the Shahbag square within half an hour of the Judgment. It took half an hour to spread out the call for protest through different social media and later the satellite TV channels. BOAN and some other social and cultural organizations called for different programmes in the same venue who later worked together. Demonstrators gathered at Shahbag Circle; they painted murals on the road, drew cartoons, hanged effigies of war-crimes suspects and chanted slogans, with a vow to continue demonstrating until their demands were met. On 7th February, demonstrations began at 8 am. Thousands of people gathered with banners, posters, Bangladeshi flags and placards in Shahbag with their demands. On Friday afternoon, a mass rally was held at Shahbag with an estimated attendance of more than ten thousand. The Shahbag protest has attracted people from all social strata to its cause. The Shahbag intersection at the center of the protests has been referred to as "Generation Circle” or “Shahbag Square", in a nod to the events which unfolded in Tahrir Square, Cairo. The protest spread from Shahbag to other parts of the country. After coming here we had realised that the national flag is secure at the hands of our children. Members of the 1971 "Golden Generation" found fresh inspiration in “Shahbag Square”. Capital punishment of the Razakars is a demand of the country’s 16 crore people”. “The people of Bangladesh have rejected the decision. At “Shahbag Square” everyone joined their hands to make a clear statement, to give a call to all countrymen to unite and oust the anti-liberation forces from the soil”. Shahbag is on a roll, a movement that is the first of its kind against fundamentalism... a movement that, has brought back the spirit of 1971 back to this country... a movement after which many believe Bangladesh will never be the same again. “We have never seen an on-going protest of this magnitude in Bangladesh ever that was not partisan. We have never witnessed people spill onto the streets for anything not somehow related to political party-led demonstrations or strikes. The non-partisan nature of Shahbag is not the only thing that makes it different, but the role technology is playing is revolutionary as well. It was Bangladeshi online activists and bloggers who first protested Mollah’s verdict, demanding the death sentence. They used social media to spread the word, and staged sit-ins. The participation of youth and women also make Shahbag unique. The protests’ female factor- students, wives, working professionals, activists, and mothers with their children all gave their voice to the Shahbag protests. Youth Power of Shahbag We find this electrifying. Although Bangladeshi women play a huge role in our country’s government and civil society, they also played a huge role in the1971 Liberation War, not only as fighters and supporters of the war, but as the people who perhaps paid the greatest price as Bangladesh seceded from then West Pakistan. The engagement of women and children in these protests is remarkable. Children came in their mother's lap or holding the hand of their father. Many housewives are seen on the streets. Senior citizens also walked with youth for the cause. It was 1:30 at night, a young girl walking towards the square holding her mother's hand. There were slogans from the speaker, “We want capital punishment for Kader Mollah”, and the girl would join in, “we want... We want...” Every night we would come to Shahbag after 10PM and we wanted to burn away all of life's ills with a candle flame. We just came to Shahbag in the hopes of creating a Bangladesh free of the religious militia Razakar for her child. Shouting slogans all day didn't crack our voice. It did not seem like we are doing it for the first time. In 1971, my parents came to the streets, today we came, and victory will be ours. We want to create a Razakar-free Bangladesh. “Joy Bangla” One day I will come with my child to Shahbag and will tell him or her – this is the street where your mother protested, demanding capital punishment for Razakars. It was like going back to those glorious days in 1971. Our whole self was having a great sensation of fulfillment. This is real Bangladesh. We were born in this spirit and now our youth have regained it. We hope they will open a new chapter in our history. War is not over Shahbag square is our sprite We are young, we are future, so it doesn’t matter to make another “71 Thousand People But Only one voice “JOY BANGLA” Really it’s a great victory for Bangladesh……. ………................________________________________________..............................