The organisers of Ganajagaran Mancha on Thursday brought out an anti-hartal procession in the Shahbagh area and staged a protest rally afterwards.
The procession led by Ganajagaran Mancha convener Imran H Sarker started at about 12 noon and paraded through the Dhaka University area.
Later they staged a protest rally at Prajanma Chattar.
While addressing the rally, Imran said: “The existence of Jamaat-Shibir is under threat. So, they became desperate and launched attacks on people across the country.”
“The Ganajagaran Mancha will prevent their subversive activities by any means,” he added.
Meanwhile, he announced a protest programme to be held at the Prajanma Chattar at about 4pm on Friday.
Earlier on Wednesday, the organisers of the Ganajagaran Mancha vowed to continue their movement until the pronouncement of death penalty for all war criminals, particularly Jamaat’s ex-chief Ghulam Azam, for his involvement in crimes against humanity.
Imran H Sarker, convener of the Ganajagaran Mancha, on Wednesday made the declaration while expressing his organisation’s reaction over Mujaheed’s verdict.
Expressing satisfaction over the tribunal’s verdict that handed down capital punishment to Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, he said: “The verdict of Mujaheed is nothing to be overwhelmed about, as it was expected, and a reflection of people’s expectation.”
“We waited 42 years for the verdict. Justice is established with this verdict,” he added.
Regarding the verdict of Ghulam Azam, he said: “We will announce the next course of action after the meeting in the afternoon.”
Claiming to be a follower of the martyrs, he vowed not to leave the street until the death penalty was handed down to Ghulam Azam.
Bappaditya Basu, a front-liner of Ganajagaran Mancha, said: “People didn’t accept the verdict of Ghulam Azam. We hope the tribunal would reconsider its verdict and pronounce capital punishment for Ghulam Azam.”
Meanwhile, he also urged the government to ensure death penalty for another war criminal, Abdul Quader Molla.
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 2 on Wednesday handed capital punishment to Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
On Monday, ICT 2 handed down Jamaat-e-Islami former Ameer Ghulam Azam, who has been charged on five accounts, 90 years imprisonment.
In an immediate reaction after the verdict, prosecutor Ziad Al-Malum said: “The tribunal said Ghulam Azam should get capital punishment, but considering his age, we are sentencing him to 90 years in jail.”
Ganajagaran Mancha rejected the verdict and staged a demonstration demanding capital punishment for the ex-Jamaat chief.
Earlier on February 5 this year, ICT 2 handed down life term imprisonment to Quader Mollah, assistant secretary general of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, on charges of committing war crimes during the Liberation War of 1971.
Protesting the verdict, an instant demonstration ensued at Shahbagh, popularly known as Ganajagaran Mancha, demanding for the government to reevaluate the verdict.
