Despite fear spread about Jamaat-Shibir atrocities & propaganda and inclement weather in Dhaka, protesters were desperate to keep OCCUPYING SHAHBAGH for the 14th night and going to welcome a foggy-winter morning, for the second consecutive day. And they’re chanting slogans relentlessly. The namaz-e-janaza of Tariqul Islam Shanto will be held at 11am at DU Central Mosque.

Some significant issues of the day were:

* A MASS RALLY has been declared at 3:00pm on February 21, the third of its kind. The two previous rallies took place on February 8 and 15.

* They also called upon the people to write letters commemorating the martyrs of the Liberation War and tie those with balloons and release in the air at 4:13pm tomorrow (Wednesday), the moment the Pakistani forces surrendered on 16 December 1971.

* On the Wee hours of Feb 21, the protesters will go to Shaheed Minar on Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day to pay respect to the martyred protesters of 1952 Language Movement.

* President Zillur Rahman signs the ICT amendment into a law. The appeal for DEATH SENTENCE could be filed early next week.

* On Monday morning, a black flag was hoisted in the memory of the three people “killed in Jamaat-Shibir’s recent attacks across the country”. They also wore black badges in protest against Friday’s murder of blogger and Shahbagh movement activist Razib Haidar. Family members and protesters allege Jamaat-Shibir men killed the 33-year-old architect for being vocal about war crimes trial. Of the other two victims, Zafar Munshi, 47, a liftman at Agrani Bank, was attacked in the capital on February 13 by Shibir activists. He died the following day. In Chittagong, Bahadur Hossain, 55, died on February 14 after being beaten by Jamaat-Shibir men during hartal hours on February 6.

* In solidarity, people across the country also wore black badges while educational institutions hoisted black flags to honour the three dead. Writ in spring flowers and candles on the streets was, “3,00,000 + 1” to denote the lives lost in the 1971 war and that of Razib Haidar. Newspaper articles and discussions on TVs are dominated by the murder.

* Jamaat-Shibir’s hartal was a failure in Dhaka and elsewhere, three killed in violent attacks.

* Blogger-cartoonist Tariqul Islam Shanto died in the afternoon as he  had a heart attack while partaking in the movement. The protesters observed a one-minute silence in remembrance of the departed soul in the evening.

* Around a hundred artists took part in the protest and announced their decision to boycott all the media houses linked with Jamaat. Finance minister AMA Muhith and education minister Nurul Islam Nahid went to the protest venue to express solidarity.

* A Dhaka magistrate court Monday rejected remand and bail prayers, and sent 7 officials of Islami Bank to jail in two cases filed over funding “destructive and subversive” acts of Jamaat. The seven arrested on Sunday from the bank’s Mirpur branch. They are the bank’s Vice-President Shaheedul Haque, Mirpur branch Senior Principal Officer Hassan Mahmud Mithu, Asif Junayed, ‘Hasanul’, Kafiluddin, Noor Alam and Robiul Islam.

* Prosecution of the tribunal ends argument in the case of Jamaat kingpin Ghulam Azam, who is now staying at the prison cell of BSMMU, a public hospital at SHAHBAGH. He can’t sleep well due to the NON-STOP agitation. His heart condition deteriorated when he heard about the OCCUPY SHAHBAGH PROTEST, say media reports.

* Awami League-led 14-party alliance will hold a public rally on Baitul Mukarram premises at 3pm today demanding quick trial and execution of the WAR CRIMINALS.

 

BONUS: VIDEO- Speech of Abdun-Noor Tushar on DEATH PENALTY and David Bergman