Jatiya Nagorik Committee today urged the interim government to ensure trial of July-August mass killings, immediate rehabilitation of the wounded and families of the martyred as well as controlling rising prices of essential commodities.
The citizens’ forum, formed on 9 September to meet the aspirations of student-led mass upsurge through ensuring the government’s accountability and playing a role in formulating policies, also demanded to ensure medical care for the injured and improve law and order situation across the country.
Amid heavy rain, their rally was participated by people from all strata of life in front of the National Museum in the capital’s Shahbagh area this morning.
“The government must bring the collaborators of the July-August massacre under swift trial immediately and take effective measures for ensuring proper treatment and rehabilitation of the injured people as well as improving the country’s law and order situation,” said Jatiya Nagorik Committee convener Nasiruddin Patwari.
Nasir expressed concern over the government’s role in rehabilitating martyrs’ families and providing legal aid to victims and said, “The victims and their family members are still being harassed in police stations while filing cases seeking justice.”
The common people are having a hard time to fulfill their essential needs due to uncontrolled price-hikes of daily essentials, Nasir said, calling upon the government to bring an end to market syndication through stern moves.
Criticising the government’s role in responding to the flood situation in the country’s northern districts, Nasir demanded immediate initiatives in rescuing the flood victims and ensuring proper relief distribution.
To normalise law and order in plain land and hill tracts, Nasir urged the government to protect the national sovereignty countering all the conspiracies being hatched by local and foreign forces.
Jatiyo Nagorik Committee member secretary Akhter Hossen urged the government to strong stance against border killing and called for the swift identification and prosecution of the perpetrators of genocide, saying that legal assistance would be provided to martyr families if necessary.
“Even after the end of Awami regime’s injustice to country people in border issues, the Bangladeshi citizens are still being killed on the border,” said Akhter.
Demanding to bring an end to the politics of disappearance, Mayer Daak convener Sanjida Islam Tuli said all forms of extrajudicial killings must be eradicated from the state.
Saiful Islam, father of Martyr Mominul Islam, said, “My son was killed by the police in Gulshan on 19 July. I never thought that I would be able to stand here and speak, the sacrifice of My son brought me here today.
Seeking justice for the murder of his son, Saiful said, “It has been more than two months, but unfortunately my son’s killers have not been brought to justice yet. My son died fighting for the country.”
Martyr Maruf Hossain’s father said, “After being shot by police firing, my son was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he breathed his last. I filed a case against 28 people. But unfortunately everyone is roaming freely.”
On behalf of martyrs’ facilities, father of martyr Sahriar Hossen Alvi, father of martyr Farhan Faiyaz, father of martyr Nahidul Islam, father of martyr Khalid Hasan, brother of martyr Abu Rayhan and father of martyr Nahid Hossen also addressed the rally.
Conducted by Nagorik Committee member Ariful islam Adib, the rally was also addressed, among others, by Moshiur Rahman, Md Ataullah, Ashraf Mahdi, Dr Abdul Ahad and Pritom Das.
