The Sammilita Sangskritik Jote on Monday began their four-day festival to mark the 40th Victory Day, and called for completion of the war crimes trial immediately.
Forty freedom-fighters who received awards for gallantry inaugurated the festival at the Central Shaheed Minar by laying down garlands on the Minar. Children singers of Chhayanuat sang the national anthem.
Cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar, on behalf of the SSJ, read out the declaration of the victory festival that begins with the slogan ‘Jene Now Shaheed, Joddha, Bir/Juddha, Aparadhira Abaro Notoshir’.
Ramendu declared that he expected the government and political leaders to concentrate on discharging their responsibility to the people by empowering the tribunal formed for the trial of war criminals and expediting investigation.
Reiterating that completion of the trial of war criminals is now the demand of the day, he called on the people to express their solidarity and to be involved in the movement to establish the truth and justice.
Speakers at the inaugural session said real victory is yet to be achieved and the anti-independence quarters are still conspiring against the country.
The inaugural ceremony, chaired by the Jote’s president Nasiruddin Yousuf, was also addressed by freedom-fighters Waresat Hossain Belal MP, Gazi Golam Dastagir MP and Shahajahan Siddiqui, Asaduzzaman Noor MP, Jote’s general secretary Hassan Arif and the festival’s co-conveners Liakat Ali and Golam Quddus.
The four-day festival will feature discussions, songs, dances, plays and film shows in six places in Dhaka simultaneously till December 16.
The six venues are the Central Shaheed Miner, Rayerbazar Baddhya Bhumi Shaudha, Rabindra Sarabar in Dhanmondi, Mirpur 12, Teacher-Student Centre, Swadhinata Square and the Barnamala Adarsha School and College.
The festival’s participants will bring out a colourful procession from the Central Shaheed Minar at 10am on December 16.
