Mid Night Massacre In Dhaka By Security Force of Bangladesh

On 6 May 2013 at 2.40 in the morning, the government in Bangladesh has cracked down on protests leaving a huge number of unarmed religious people dead and thousands others injured. More than 10,000 forces drawn from police, the elite Rapid Action Battalion and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh jointly launched a drive in the darkness of midnight on 6 May to clear demonstrators from a major thoroughfare in Dhaka. Electricity was cut and media access was restricted from the scene during the joint operation.

In Narayanganj and Chittagong, 20 demonstrators were shot dead by police on 6 May. 16 demonstrators were killed on the previous day by police in several attacks carried out to disperse the Dhaka Siege program.

Bangladesh is now passing a great crisis in her political arena. Democracy and good governance have been severely questioned over the current regime. Human rights have been infringed to an unprecedented extent. The Bangladesh government headed by Awami League has been exposing its deadly autocratic attitude and unethical stand both in national as well as international arenas since it has acceded to power in 2009. It has always shown ultra-rated hostility towards people‟s demands and their democratic demos and protests.

Most recently, Hefajat-e-Islam, a non-political religious outfit set out to ensure punishment of the anti-religious bloggers for their blasphemous campaigns, staged its scheduled “Dhaka Siege & Sit-in” program on last 5th May 2013 urging the government to meet its 13-point demand announced earlier. Since the break of dawn on that day, a sum total of about 3 to 4 million Hefajat men, as a whole, blocked the entrances to Dhaka city and they took, as per the governmental consent, to the streets round the “Shapla Square” at Motijheel in Dhaka at around 3:00 pm. But as soon as Hefajat-e-Islam began its gathering and sit-in therein, armed cops and RAB personnel started to shoot at the participants indiscriminately. Soon, the hub of Dhaka city turned into a battlefield and Hefajat men were turning into „corpses‟ one after another.

They declared to continue their sit-in indefinitely. However, on 6th May at 3:00 am at midnight, the locale was blacked out by switching streetlights off, two TV channels on stream (namely, Diganta TV and Islamic TV) were cut off and made go off the air as they dare to air true news about governmental injustice, and all the journos were forcibly made leave the locale by the government official dudes and pro-party thugs. Then, all on a sudden, an integrated band of cops, BGB and RAB personnel began to open fire wantonly at the sit-in participants to take over the reins of the locale whereby over 5 hundred people died, thousands of people got injured and shot and about 2 thousand more went traceless.


Dhaka Siege Program
Hefajat-e-Islam, an organization of Islamic clerics and students, called the Dhaka siege programme from its April 6 grand rally at the city‟s Shapla Chattar demanding that its 13-point demand be met by April 30. Hefajat‟s 13-point demand includes passing a law in parliament with a provision for the punishment for blashemy and smear campaigns against Muslims, putting an end to the infiltration of all alien culture including adultery, amending anti-religious portions of the National Women Development Policy and restoring the religious provisions in the Constitution.


The Dhaka siege programme of Hefajat-e-Islam Bangladesh began after Fajar prayers early on 5th May 2013. Activists of the organisation blocked roads at six points of Dhaka- from Abdullahpur to Tongi bridge, Gabtali Mazar Road to Aminbazar bridge, Babu Bazar bridge, Demra bridge, Kanchpur bridge and
Postagola bridge shortly before dawn. They also took position on the Chittagong Road at Jatrabari and in
Signboard areaentry points of the capital. Police also kept some points blocked since morning to prevent entry of the Hefajat activists into Dhaka city.

The demonstrators were seen standing with banners, different types of flags including the national flag, while some were reciting verses from the Holy Quran.

Huge police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel remained deployed in every entry point of the city. No motorised vehicles from outside could enter the city. Dhaka was virtually detached from other parts of the country due to the siege programme.




Indiscriminate Police Fire
In Paltan area of the capital, police started indiscriminate shooting at the peaceful gathering of thousands of
Hefazat activists. At least thirteen Hefazat activists were killed and 200 others injured in assaults on Hefajat
men by Awami League activists and police in the city‟s Bangabandhu Avenue and other areas on Sunday. At least eight hefazat activists have died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. At least five other dead bodies were seen near at the Shapla Square.

Panic gripped the city dwellers as violence escalated amid the Hefajat grand rally being staged at the city‟s
Shapla Chattar following its April 6 massive showdown at the same venue. After the police rampage, vehicles almost disappeared from the city‟s bustling streets. Many were seen walking back home on foot.

One of the deceased was identified as Siddiqur Rahman Siddique, 28, helper of a bus of „Hanif Paribahan‟. The others, including a Hefajat man, could not be identified yet. Helper Siddique, injured in the firing, was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared him dead. The two others also succumbed to their injuries at the DMCH. The injured were admitted to different hospitals and private
clinics

Awami League members also took part in the assault on Hefazat demonstrators. Witnesses said the clash between the Awami League and Hefajat men broke out in Baitul Mukarram area around 1:30pm when they brought separate processions in the area. A chase and counter-chase broke out between the workers of the two organisations as they brought out their processions. Police fired several hundred gunshots and teargas
shells to suppress the demonstrators.

Another triangular clash involving police, the Hefajat workers and the ruling party men broke out at the same place at 3pm and later it spilled over into Purana Paltan, Gulistan, Bijoynagar, Kakrail and Press Club areas.
Blood was pouring over the asphalt paved street. It could not be learnt immediately how many were injured or dead. But at live telecast many bodies were seen lying on the road motionless. Fountains of blood was
gushed at many places. Initially Hefazot claimed 30 to 40 were killed. Witnesses said miscreants set fire to a police box at Shantinagar around 6:20 pm while another at Mouchak at about 6:25 pm. At least 30 vehicles parked in front of the Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation were set alight by the miscreants around 5pm. A police Pajero jeep was set afire at Mouchak around 6:25 pm while a bus and a bulldozer at
Malibagh crossing around 6:20 pm. A gas pipeline near the Bangabandhu National stadium was set afire around 4:45pm.

At about 5:30pm, 15 people, including 10 cops, were injured in a clash between police and the Hefajat workers near Nayabazar in the city. Meanwhile, seven people, including a Rab member, were hurt in separate clashes between law enforcers and workers of Hefajat-e-Islam in the city earlier on Sunday.


In another incident, two police bikes were torched near the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque as the Hefajat men in a procession were marching towards the Shapla Chattar in the capital at about 12:30pm. Witnesses said hundreds of activists of the organization were marching towards the Shapla Chattar to attend a rally there. When they were passing by the National Mosque, police obstructed them. Being obstructed, the Hefajat activists threw brick chips targeting police, resulting in a clash between them. The law enforces fired several teargas shells and fired several rubber bullets to disperse them. A chase and counter-chase took place that left some people injured.

Midnight Massacre
On Sunday evening, Hefajat-e-Islam Bangladesh ameer Allama Shah Ahmed Shafi said their 'peaceful' Shapla Chattar sit-in will continue until their 13-point demand is met. 4 After the declaration of overnight stay came from the Hefazat stage at 8 pm, electricity cut throughout the area by authorities. Police ordered evacuation of all Media personnel from the spot.

Heavy armored RAB and Police force and about 30 Platoons of BGB were deployed near the Program spot. Police fired Tear cells inside the Mosque while the I‟sha prayer was on. Some miscreants set fire to the Islamic Bookstores and Jewelry Market of Baitul Mukaram Complex. Sporadic clashes continued between Police and Hefazat activists. Police continued indiscriminate fire and charging Sound Grenades.

From 9 pm, the security forces started surrounding the gathering of unarmed assembly of hundreds of thousands people in Motijhil. No one could enter of exit from the assembly anymore. Ten platoons of Border Guard members were deployed in the area.5 Hefazat activists attempt to resistance by placing blocks road divider and tree branches proved futile in the face of heavily armed security forces. After 2 pm in the morning, Police started a huge crackdown with continuous brush fire upon the sleeping protesters. Thousands of sound grenades were charged upon them as well. Some 600 members of RAB and BGB were deployed at Paltan at around 11:30pm. On and on the number of armed force members increased to initiate the joint operation on the sleeping activists of Hefazat. It was 2:30 in the morning. Dhaka was rattled by the sound of indiscriminate gunshot and grenade explosions. One-way war started with whistles as Joint Law enforcers BGB, RAB and Police attacked and cornered the unarmed Hefazot activists. Mothijeel, Dainik Bangla, Fakirapool and Ittefaq intersection turned into a killing ground within minutes.


BGB and Rab personnel removed Hefajat-e-Islam activists from the citys Shapla Chattar area. Police and Rab sources said they started the drive at about 2.20 am and drove out the Hefajat men from Shapla Chattar area by 3 am, firing rubber bullets and sound grenades. They said some10,000 law-enforcers took part in the drive that first started from Notredame Collage point then Ittefaq Intersection. The entire area was rocked by gunshots and sound grenades.

The defenseless innocent Islamist‟s were forced to move away at the face of continuous gunshot and canisters. Many wounded laid at the road. 7 Some took shelters at nearby alleys. Law enforcers then attacked the alleys. They were beaten till dispersed.


Amid the massive drive, unarmed Hefajat men retreated fast and ran into various lanes and alleys in the area although they had first tried to resist the law-enforcers showering them with brick chips. It was not still certain how many Hefajat men were injured in the predawn drive. Television footages showed armoured vans driving about and non-stop teargas shells being lobbed and rubber bullets fired in Motijheel which during weekdays is one of the busiest places in Dhaka.

Many dead bodies and injured were seen all over the street and adjacent buildings after the joint operation of armed forces. Motijheel was littered with stained blood, papers, sandals and some bags after the operation drove the sleeping band of Hifazat supporters away. Fire was burning in a few places. Five vehicles were also burning at the scene.


Law enforcers took less than 15 minutes to take control of Shapla Chattar after conducting a simultaneous drive from the Notre Dame College and Dainik Bangla intersection at around 3am. No leader of Hefazat was seen on the rally stage after then. Police began positioning themselves on the street stretching from Paltan to Dainik Bangla intersection since 8:30pm on Sunday.

Most of the corpses were reportedly hidden and transported to some remoter places by trucks by the law enforcement agencies to escape public wrath and international condemnation. Initially the number of dead was claimed to be as many as 431 by various sources.11 Several internet reports have mentioned that the number of deaths could be as high as 2,500 or more.


Violation of Human Rights
The scale and indiscriminate manner of the killing of unarmed demonstrators by armed forces is comparable only to genocide, the ultimate denial of right to life. According to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, genocide include acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

killing members of the group.17 Hundreds of people were killed by police in just one day which
amounts to the crime of genocide.

Article 32 of our Constitution guaranteed the right of life. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 incorporated a provision that says: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.It‟s pertinent to point out here that, the constitution of Bangladesh pledges to respect the International Laws and moreover Bangladesh has signed that Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So, our Govt. cannot ignore its liability to protect the citizens from the police and ruling party thugs.

This incidents mass murder by police indicate the serious scenario of falling „rule of law‟ in Bangladesh. The Republic is bound to ensure the democratic rights and safety of life and property of every citizen.

Furthermore, it has responsibility to ensure citizens‟ fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. But, by killing, torturing and injuring the participants of demonstrations, Govt. has grossly violated human right of life.

Article 35 of the Constitution of People‟s Republic of Bangladesh says that, “No person shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment.”20 But Police have violated this right by reckless shooting at unarmed Hefazat activists.

The unprovoked attack of peaceful sit-in and restraining from lawful demonstration violated some very basic human rights which Bangladesh is committed to protect. The practice of oppression amounts to defiance of freedom of association and assembly recognized by Universal Declaration of Human Rights.21 Bangladesh is a signatory of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1966 which incorporated certain fundamental human rights.

Bangladeshi security forces cannot impose unreasonable restrictions on the right of peaceful
assembly held in accordance with law as provided article 21 of the Covenant.