Leaders of the Ganajagaran Mancha (GM) have rejected the International Crimes Tribunal’s verdict in the case of former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam. The Jamaat leader was spared the gallows and instead sentenced to 90 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War. On Monday, Mancha spokesperson Dr Imran H Sarker announced a countrywide hartal for Tuesday, from 10 am to 6 pm, in protest against the verdict. “This verdict came not only as shocking, but also as a betrayal to the spirit of the Liberation War. This has been a disappointment for those who had sacrificed everything during the Liberation War. They were eagerly waiting for the death sentence of the former Jamaat chief,” he said.
The Mancha leaders, who went for a vigil at Shahbagh Square from Sunday evening, demanded capital punishment for Ghulam Azam. “The Mancha has rejected this verdict. We’ll stay at Prajanma Chattar (Shahbagh square) until all war criminals get the maximum penalty,” asserted Sarker.
A large number of Mancha activists, who gathered in front of the National Museum since Sunday night, blocked the Shahbagh intersection, hampering the flow of traffic on one of the city’s main crossings.
Lucky Akter, a young student, said, “We don’t support this verdict. We did not expect those who uphold the spirit of the Liberation War to deliver such a verdict.”
Meanwhile, a handmade bomb exploded at Shahbagh, while the Ganajagaran Mancha protest was going on at about 3-20 pm, just behind the place where the GM leaders were speaking, close to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and the National Musuem.
Though none was hurt, the explosion created panic among youths. No one has been arrested in this connection. Another bomb was recovered from the spot, Shahbagh Police Station OC Sirajul Islam said.
-With The Independent input
