The Inquilab Mancha has announced a continuous sit-in program with five demands, including the arrest of Lucky Akter, one of the organizers of the Gonojagoron Moncho.
On Wednesday afternoon, this announcement was made by Inquilab Mancha’s spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi at a human chain event held in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh. At the time, the ‘July Revolutionary Alliance’ expressed solidarity with them.
Sharif Osman Hadi said: “The time has come to build an Insaaf Bangladesh free from Shahbaghism. For this, we are ready to continue our program until Eid.”
He further said: “For the past 14-15 years, fascism has been established in Bangladesh. Thousands of mirror rooms (Ainaghar) have been set up under the slogan ‘We don’t want justice, we want execution.’ My sister was raped after being forced to break her fast. In Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia was left untreated, causing her hand to be crippled. Allama Sayedee was brought to the hospital under the guise of medical treatment and was killed. Mushtaq was murdered in prison. An attempt was made to end the life of Michael Chakma. Most recently, our brothers and sisters were shot at from helicopters, their hearts torn apart. This Shahbagh has not only legitimized but also proved the necessity of that term.”
Mentioning that the Inquilab Mancha has conducted over 50 street programs in the last six months, he said: “At every program, the police set up barricades in different places. We chanted slogans there for hours. No one can provide evidence that we laid a hand on any police officer.”
The spokesperson of Inquilab Mancha further said: “Section 144 has been imposed in front of Jamuna. Out of respect for that law, we moved to Kakrail Mor for our program. If we do not respect the law, how will the state function?”
The five demands of Inquilab Mancha are as follows:
- A speedy trial tribunal must be formed to ensure the highest punishment for rape, with a provision to resolve cases within 90 days. At the same time, anyone filing false rape cases must also face the highest punishment.
- Those attacking unarmed police officers on duty as part of a conspiracy to destabilize Bangladesh must be arrested and brought to trial immediately.
- Lucky Akter and her associates must be arrested immediately to expose the anti-state conspiracy of 2013.
- A neutral judicial commission, including the United Nations, must be formed to ensure a fair investigation into the Shapla and Pilkhana massacres.
- The judicial proceedings for the July massacre must begin visibly, and the Awami League must be banned.
On Tuesday, members of the platform ‘Bangladesh Against Rape and Oppression’ were obstructed and baton-charged by the police at the Intercontinental intersection in the capital while attempting to submit a memorandum to Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus.
Explaining the incident, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said in a press release that a clash occurred when the platform ‘Bangladesh Against Rape and Oppression’ attempted a march towards the Chief Adviser’s office with a total of nine demands, including the removal of the Home Adviser and the formation of a speedy trial tribunal. Several police officers were injured in the incident.
