Thursday’s police attack on Ganajagaran Mancha activists in Gulshan was preplanned because they were there to condemn Pakistan’s stance regarding the execution of war criminal Quader Molla, the mancha said yesterday.
At a gathering in Shahbagh, speakers also demanded punishment for those who charged batons on freedom fighters, war women, academics and activists.
Victims of the attack, especially the women activists of the mancha, alleged that apart from beating them up, the law enforcers also abused them sexually and verbally.
“My clothes were ripped apart. When I asked for water in the prison van, one of the policemen replied: ‘drink my urine.’ I am ashamed of what the police did to us. My family did not fight for this,” said Lopa, a mancha activist. She said eight members of her family fought in the 1971 Liberation War.
Rights activists Shipra Bose said: “We were sexually harassed by the police. All we were doing in Gulshan was condemn Pakistan’s stance on our country’s internal affair and asking the government to sever diplomatic ties with that country.
We were demanding justice for our country, for the freedom fighters and the victims of 1971. It is such a shame that we are still being targeted by Bangladeshi police.”
Bappaditya Basu, leader of leftist student organisation Chaatra Maitree, said: “A woman named Banani Biswash was with us [Thursday]. She was wearing shakha [white bangle that married Hindu women wear]. One policeman called her ‘malaun’ [a slang used by Pakistanis in 1971 to refer to Hindus]. How have the policemen in an independent democratic country become so communal? It seems they still belong to Pakistan.”
Freedom fighter Nasir Udiin Yusuf Bachchu said a policeman kicked Azad, a freedom fighter who won the gallantry award of Birbikram, despite being told that he was a freedom fighter.
“We thank the prime minister for her bold stance against Pakistan. Now show the same boldness and find out the policemen, who still possess Jamaat’s mentality,” Bachchu said.
Shammi, who was beaten up by police, said: “I felt like I was in 1971. I was unarmed and they were armed and were beating me without mercy. I do not understand why they were so aggressive. We were only chanting slogans and nothing else.”
Writer Muhammad Zafar Iqbal expressed frustration saying: “I knew that Jamaat and razakars are against these youth group [the mancha]. But I never thought Bangladeshi Police carried against them the same hatred that the anti-liberation force does.
I never thought Police would charge baton on these young men and women, who are fighting for their country’s dignity.”
Rights activists Khushi Kabir said: “The whole attack on the Mancha was preplanned.
There is no reason to believe that it was a sudden reaction. Police were deployed with arms and batons. It was a shameful step taken by the government. I am pretty much sure that the ghosts of Pakistan are still very much alive in the state and the law enforcement agencies. Eliminate them.”
Meanwhile, Md Kamal Hossain, senior assistant superintendent of the Chancery Unit of Police, ruled out all the allegations.
“There was no necessity and scope of such type of misconduct by police. If any such incident took place, there is no scope of hiding it because a large number of media personnel were also present at the spot and the programme had been broadcasted.”
He said they had tried their level best to keep the situation under control considering the diplomatic norms and image of Bangladesh.
The mancha announced a seven day campaign to be launched today, calling upon people to boycott all sorts of Pakistani products.
On Sunday, the mancha will submit a memorandum to the home ministry demanding punishment for those who charged batons on and abused the activists.
The mancha is also likely to file a separate memorandum to the foreign ministry demanding cutting of diplomatic ties with Pakistan.
