The
sky over Projonmo Chottor takes hues as protesters release hundreds of
balloons in memory of the martyrs of the Liberation War on the eve of
Amar Ekhushey.
The
canopy overhead turned colourful at Shahbagh Projonmo Chottor as
protesters released hundreds of balloons in the air commemorating the
martyrs of the Liberation War on the eve of Amar Ekushey.When the clock struck at 4:13pm, the time the Pakistani forces surrendered on December 16 in 1971, the demonstrators released the balloons tying letters in memory of the valiant sons of the land who had laid down their lives for the motherland.
"To honour all the martyrs, You sleep in peace. We remain vigil and we will," two students of St. Francis Xavier's Girls High School of Dhaka wrote in their letter.
Mili Rahman, wife of Birshrestha Motiur Rahman, wrote, "You (Motiur) must be well. You see the youths learned to protest. With all my children, I will fight till the last day of my life to rid the country of Razakars."
Ekramul Haque hailing from Kolkata came to Projonmo Chottor on foot, traversing a total of 350 km in 11 days, and said, "On the way, I tried to create public consciousness against Razakar. I came down a way so long in demand of punishment to the war criminals."
Prominent writer Muhammad Zafar Iqbal joined the demonstrators, protesting for last 16 days for the capital punishment to the war criminals at Shahbagh intersection, known as Projonmo Chottor.
On Monday, the protesters announced the programme and also called upon the people to do so.
They also decided to hold a grand rally at 3:00pm on February 21, the third of its kind since the protest began on February 5.
On February 5, the International Crimes Tribubal-2 sentenced Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah to life term in prison for his crimes against humanity during the country's Liberation War in 1971.
Rejecting the verdict, Bloggers and Online Activist Network initiated the protest that soon turned into a mass movement.
Within a few days, it spread to other parts of the country and eventually abroad.
A few hundred people imbued with the spirit of the '71 began their day’s activities by rendering national anthem at the venue around 6:30am, popularly known as Projonmo Chottor.
They were also chanting different revolutionary slogans to strengthen the movement.
Like previous days, people from all walks, mostly students gathered at the protest venue wholeheartedly since the morning to express solidarity with the protesters.
As time passes by, people are rushing towards the protest venue, our correspondents covering the event reported.
Dhaka University Officers' Association expressed solidarity with the Shahbagh protesters joining them in the afternoon.
Teachers, students and employees of Dhaka Imperial College also expressed their solidarity with the movement by joining them around 12:45pm.
A group of renowned singers including Subir Nandi, Andrew Kishore, Kanak Chapa and Piaru Khan visited Shahbagh around 1:30pm and expressed their solidarity with the movement.
They also rendered various songs like "Purbo Digonte Surjo Utheche Rokto Lal Rokto Lal Rokto Lal" (Blood-red sun has risen in the east horizon) at the protest venue to cheer up the protesters.
Earlier on Monday, black flags were hoisted at Shahbagh intersection and different educational institutions across the country in memory of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, who was brutally killed by unknown miscreants.
Rajib, also an activist of ongoing Shahbagh movement, was found stabbed dead near his house at Pallabi in the capital Friday night.
On Sunday, all the school, colleges and universities throughout the country hoisted national flag expressing solidarity with the Shahbagh protest.
Cartoonist Tariqul Islam Shanto, also a staunch supporter of the Shahbagh movement, died while staging demonstrations at Projonmo Chottor Monday afternoon.
Thirty-nine-year-old Shanto suffered a cardiac arrest during the demonstration on that afternoon.
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