The Muktijoddha Sangshad Shantan Command on Sunday demanded descendents of war criminals to be declared unfit to serve the government and a separate law mandating protection of freedom fighters’ families.
The demands were part of a six-point declaration by the party central committee on Sunday afternoon at a mass assembly in front of the National Museum in Shahbagh.
The assembly was called in response to the recent protests for quota reforms in government jobs. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the repealing of all quotas in government jobs in an impassioned speech last Wednesday.
The Muktijoddha Sangshad Shantan Command said they wanted punishment for anti-Liberation War forces which “dishonoured freedom fighters on social media.”
Mehedi Hasan, president of the central committee, said: “Forces against the Liberation War used students to vandalize Dhaka University, torch and rob the residence of the university’s Vice Chancellor, attempted murder through torturing and incited chaos in educational institutes all over the country. There must be legal actions against the people and parties responsible, including Tareq Zia. They have dishonoured Bangabandhu and vandalized his portraits. Not to mention humiliate the countless families of freedom fighters.”
Nurul Islam, a freedom fighter from Mymensingh, spoke at the demonstration, saying: “The public service freedom fighter quota was introduced by Bangabandhu as recognition for our contribution. It is quite pathetic to be dishonoured by the current generation.”
Bangladesh Chhatra League Vice President Rajib Ahmed Rasel, also a son of a freedom fighter from Gazipur, said the war criminals and anti-Liberation War forces had defamed the freedom fighter quota as “gun quota.”
“We call to the government to formulate a full fledge list of war criminals and collaborators and expel their offspring from public service immediately,” Rasel said.
General Secretary Md Selim Reza, Joint Secretary Shakil Ahmed, Organizing Secretary Kaisar Nasim, and leaders and activists from Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Chittagong University were present at the program.
Later, the protestors brought out a procession from the National Museum which ended at Shikha Chironton (Eternal Flame) at Suhrawardy Udyan where they pledged to assist the government in upholding the spirit of the Liberation War.
