The family members and the relatives of the martyrs who embraced martyrdom during the recent student-led mass uprising have demanded trial and exemplary punishment of ex-prime minister Shiekh Hasina and her accomplices.
The families of the martyrs and injured victims of the movement came up with the demand from a human chain held at the Central Shaheed Minar at 10:30 am on Wednesday. Students, university teachers, common people, family members of the martyrs and injured victims joined the human chain.
Brother of the martyr of Jobayer Omor Khan came to join the rally from Naraynganj.
He said, "I have the pain of losing my brother but I have no regret now after the successful revolution. My brother died at Naraynganj during the movement. It is my request to the state that it recognises all those killed and injured during the movement, and that August 5 be recognised as the National Revolution Day."
Prof Rubayet Ferdous of the Mass Communication and Journalism department of Dhaka University joined the rally to consolidate with the family members of the martyrs, and the injured.
Speaking in the rally, he said, "I came here on behalf of the teachers' society. We are indebted to the families of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives spontaneously. You all know that during the 1969 mass uprising a total of 61 people were killed over the year but Sheikh Hasina and her collaborators killed more than ten times people within only 20 days of the movement. The government took away our democratic rights, we couldn't cast our votes freely during the last three national elections. Meritorious military officers were abducted, imprisoned, and killed without any reason."
Seeking recognition of the martyrs, he said, "We know there is no compensation of blood, but the compensation to the families has to be paid; the injured must be rehabilitated with proper employment. Finally, the state must recognize the martyrs."
The younger sister of a martyr Juel said, "The movement was not the movement of the students only. People from all walks of life joined the movement. My brother Juel was not a student. He was an employee and the only earner of our family. He died being hit by a bullet on July 19."
Breaking into tears, she said, "My father had a major heart operation on July 15. He still does not know that his son is no more. My mother and I tried to stop my brother several times from joining the movement but he did not listen to us saying that it was a mass movement like in 1971. Even after showing papers at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), the hospital authority has not issued any death certificate until now."
Dhaka University's Law Department students set up a booth near the human chain site to offer the victims advocacy and legal support.
