Solidarity Vigil for the Shahbagh Movement
2 pm, 9th April, 2013; Outside Bangladesh Embassy, New Delhi
New
Socialist Initiative (NSI), Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association
(JTSA), Nishant, Anhad, Krantikari Lok Adhikar Sangathan, Stree Mukti
Sangathan
Comrades,
The
neighbouring country of Bangladesh is going through a new churning.
Hundreds and thousands of people have hit the streets of Dhaka,
demanding strict punitive action against ‘war criminals’ and their
organisations, who forty-two years ago—at the time of the liberation
struggle/war of the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)—colluded with
the Pakistan army and committed untold acts of atrocities on the general
public.
Basically, there are two main demands of the protesters: war criminals
should be strictly punished and organisations like the Jamat-e-Islami,
Bangladesh, should be banned and all commercial and other kinds of
establishments run by it should be proscribed. Just to recall: members
and activists of Jamat-e-Islami, Bangladesh, did not merely oppose the
liberation movement/war of Bangladesh because of their insistence on a
‘unified’ Pakistan, but also as part of Razakars—the Islamist East
Pakistani paramilitary force contrived by the Pakistan army—aided and
sided with the Pakistan Army during to inflict indescribable acts of
violence on the people fighting for liberation.
The uniqueness and hallmark of the Shahdbag movement is that though it
was principally initiated, spread and extended by those youth who run
online blogs, it quickly witnessed the participation of other classes.
It is to be noted that the Movement which began on 5th Feb 2013, went
into its second phase this 26th March, the anniversary of Bangladesh’s
liberation day. According to latest reports, about twenty (20) people
have started a fast unto death under the joint banner of of ‘Gana Jagran
Manch’. The protestors have been demanding that the Awami League
government should immediately bring an ordinance/bill banning the Jamat.
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh is expected to pronounce its views on
the demands of the protesters on 6th April 2103.
There is no doubt that in spite of the extensiveness of the Movement, it
is still facies strong opposition from the advocates and supporters of
Jamat-e-Islami, who are systemtically induging in a vicious negative
campaign. Besides, an attampt is being made to communalise the situation
through attacks on religious minorities of Bangladesh—Hindus,
Buddhists—orchestrated by those associated with the Jamat.
Clearly, at a time when the rest of South Asia is witnessing the rise of
communal mobilizations, Bangladesh’s Shahbagh Movement stands apart as a
unique and ground-breaking venture, for it has demanded that secular
principles and ethos alone should guide and govern all politics. Thus,
this movement is qualitatively and politically far more mature than,
say, movements which arose from the womb of Tahrir square of Cairo.
Probably, unnerved by the movement’s secular push, Islamist forces,
including those outside Bangladesh can be seen to be colluding actively
trying to suppress it. In the last few days, the heads of state of both
Egypt and Turkey wrote separate letters to the Prime Minister of
Bangladesh pressurising her in this regard. In India too,
Jamat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Minority Youth Federation and
several like-minded organisations have demonstrated and expressed
solidarity with the war criminals presently being held in jails
of Bangladesh. These organisations have gone on to declare that if the
Awami League govt. continues to pursue the conviction of war criminals,
they would appeal to the Govt. of India to break
all diplomatic relations with Bangladesh. In a way through their emotive
stirrings, these Islamist organisations have demonstrated that they
have no sympathy or concern with the atrocities committed on the general
populace of Bangladesh; majority of whom are Muslims. To the contrary
they have clearly bared their intentions, i.e. they are only concerned
for the leaders of the Jamat, who are certain to face the legal
consequences of the crimes committed by them.
Majoritarian and fascist forces feed and thrive on each other and that
there has been a coinciding of the rise of Hindutva in India and
fundamentalist forces in our neighborhood.
Ironically,
the secular-democratic and left forces of India have till now
maintained a studied silence on the historical movement being driven and
sustained by the general public of Bangladesh. We believe that there is
an urgent need to break this silence, as well to express our solidarity
to the people of Bangladesh in their historic struggle.
Inquilab Zindabad
