Thousands of people marched in Dhaka and other major cities in Bangladesh on Tuesday, observing a countrywide half-day hartal called by the pro-liberation youths’ platform Gonojagoron Moncho. The marches were organised in protest of the brutal murder of a publisher of secular books, Faisal Arefin Dipan, and against the fatal attacks on another secular publisher Ahmedur Rashid Tutul and bloggers Ranadipam Basu and Tareque Rahim.
Writers, publishers, bookshop owners, teachers and students flooded the streets of Dhaka, raising slogans in unison against a series of brutal killings by Islamist extremists.
Different political and social organisations and human rights bodies held rallies and formed human chains in various cities and towns to demand life security for free-thinkers, writers, publishers, bloggers and online activists.
Thousands Take to the Streets
Addressing a rally from the second floor of the building where Dipan was hacked to death on Saturday afternoon, the head of the Bangladesh Creative Publishers Society, Mustafa Selim, told reporters,
This incident was not an isolated one at all. They attacked the great poet Shamsur Rahman, the legendary writer Humayun Azad, then killed Avijit Roy and four other bloggers. Now they have targeted publishers.
Nazmul Hasan, president of Aziz Cooperative Super Market Traders Welfare Society said that because the real killers had not been brought to justice, the killings have continued.
Answering a call by Bangladesh Book and Publishers Association, all book stalls had been kept shut until 2 pm across the country on Tuesday.
Hundreds gathered at the Razu Sculpture in Dhaka University campus under the banner of ‘Teachers, Students, Writers and Citizens’ to attend a protest rally. Notable figures who spoke at the rally included Prof. Muntasir Mamun, Prof. Rafiqullah Khan, former VC of Jahangirnagar University Prof. Anwar Hossen, Prof. Shantonu Mazumder, columnist Syed Abul Maksud, DU teachers Samina Lutfa, Fahmidul Hoque, Safikuzzaman and Razib Mir, Professor at Jagannath University. The spokespersons urged the government to make this matter a top priority for the sake of a secular Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Chhatra Union, student wing of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, along with the Somajtantrik Chhatra Front held a press conference at the Modhur Canteen in the Dhaka University premises and demanded the resignation of the home minister for failing to ensure the security of its citizens.
Dhaka University Teachers’ Association formed a human chain in front of Kolabhaban on Tuesday morning around 10 am. It was attended by more than a hundred teachers.
Around a thousand activists gathered and blocked the Shahbag intersection around 8 am, under the banner of Gonojagoron Moncho. This was the venue for months-long demonstrations demanding capital punishment for war criminals. A leader of the Gonojagoron Moncho, Imran H Sarker declared a coffin rally towards the home ministry from Shahbag on Thursday at 11 am, which was followed by a protest gathering the next day at the same venue.
Bloggers who spoke at the gathering had strongly-worded statements for the government. They blamed the government for its inability to trace the real killers of bloggers Rajib Haider, Avijit Roy, Ananta Bijoy Das, Washiqur Rahman and Niladri Chattapadhay. Some of them claimed that the government’s role encouraged Islamic fanatics to exercise their barbarity. The bloggers also claimed that the very group that committed inhuman crimes during the Independence War in 1971, were the ones involved in the killings.
An organisation of Islamic terrorists, who called themselves Harkat-ul-Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack on Prof. Humayun Azad. After the Harkat-ul-Jihad was banned by the government, they re-grouped as the Ansar-al-islam, the ‘Bangladesh branch’ of the Al-Qaeda. Banning only names and failing to trace the policymakers, will do next to nothing, least of all stop terrorism.
EU Ambassador Pierre Mayaudon has condemned the latest attacks, conveyed his condolences to the family of Faisal Arefin Dipan and expressed his solidarity for other injured publishers and bloggers.
EU’s official Facebook page has published a statement on the incident: ‘’These tragic circumstances call for the government to further ensure that freedom of expression and beliefs are respected. Ambassador Mayaudon is confident that prompt action by law enforcement agencies and unity among the people of Bangladesh will deter fanatics from committing further crimes.’’
British High Commissioner Robert W Gibson tweeted:
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