Womens rally defies threat

Rab official hurt in cocktail blasts near podium; protesters declare fresh programmes
STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The Shahbagh movement holds a rally to mark the International Womens Day yesterday but several homemade bombs went off. Photo:
Anisur Rahman
Even after two cocktails exploded near Gonojagoron Mancha at Shahbagh during Nari Jagoron Samabesh yesterday afternoon, the
protesters firmly announced that nothing can stop their fight against war criminals and Jamaat-Shibir.
Jalal Uddin, deputy assistant director of Rapid Action Battalion-3, was injured in the blasts and rushed to the emergency unit of Birdem
hospital.
He suffered wounds in the face and hands.
Around 4:55pm, the blasts took place near National Museum and opposite to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). Only
100 yards away, the womens rally was going on in full swing.
Panic gripped people at first, but a number of activists carrying bamboo sticks ran to the spot within a minute and organisers burst into Joy
Bangla slogan to allay fears of all.
Six of our officers were showing the people the entrance, Abdul Kuddus, a Rab-3 official who had been guarding the venue alongside Jalal
Uddin, told The Daily Star on the spot.
We heard a loud bang, suddenly. Before we could understand anything, another explosion followed and we saw blood rolling down Jalal
sirs face.

The Shahbagh movement holds a rally to mark the International Womens Day yesterday but several homemade bombs went off near the
rally. A Rab member was slightly wounded in the attack. Photo: Anisur Rahman
Detectives picked up four suspects at the BSMMU. Visiting the spot, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed said it was
definitely an act of sabotage.
Neither police nor Rab could ascertain who and from where the cocktails were thrown. Some suggested it was from the fourth floor of
BSMMU.
The Shahbagh intersection, now called Projonmo Chattar, again reverberated with anti-Razakar slogans of thousands of women and men as
the crowd grew larger after the blasts.
The protesters in several groups paraded through the area while speakers kept delivering speeches.

Participants in the rally arming themselves with sticks, look for the persons who hurled the bombs reportedly from a BSMMU building. The
rally participants did not resort to violence and the police picked up four suspects. Photo: Anisur Rahman
Those who were against non-communal and democratic Bangladesh will continue their attempts to attack us, said rights activist Sultana
Kamal. But we will resist them as in 1971.
Expressing her gratitude to the sisters and children of new generation for their participation in this movement, she also paid tribute to the
women who took part in the Liberation War.
Quite before the start of the rally, women in large numbers flocked to Shahbagh to honour the women who were tortured and repressed
during the 1971 Liberation War.
Women who included housewives, students, workers and media personalities swarmed the venue marching in processions with banners,
festoons and national flags.
The rally began at 4:30pm with rendering of national anthem.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury and Everest conqueror Wasfia
Nazreen, among others, expressed solidarity with the protesters.
Speakers called for immediate action to build a society without gender discrimination.
Ferdousy Priyabhashini, a victim of the 1971 war crimes, said, This generation has made us braver. We are more hopeful than ever. Now
we are witnessing a bloodless revenge of what Razakar and Al-Badar did in 1971.
Several thousand protesters took an oath to continue their movement, which began on February 5, until their six-point demand is met. The
demands include capital punishment for war criminals and a ban on Jamaat-Shibir.
Imran H Sarker, a key organiser of the Shahbagh movement, administered the oath.
He said justice would be done for the violence against women in 1971 only when war criminals would get due punishment.
Imran, announcing a series of programmes across the country, urged all to join the mass gathering at Uttara on March 10, Chittagong
University on March 13 and Ashulia on March 15.
The organisers also called upon all educational institutions to hold solidarity rally at 11:00am on March 16 to protest the recent Jamaat-Shibir
mayhem on the minority community.