| by Swadesh Roy
( December 16, 2013, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Forty-three years, a long time for a human life but it is not long time for a nation’s life and that has been proved by the Bengali nation of Bangladesh. After forty-three years, the Bengali nation has executed the death sentence of a war criminal and he was the first war criminal in Bangladesh who first walked to the gallows. When the rope of gallows touched the war criminals neck it was the best time for the nation after the evening of 16th December of 1971. The people of Bangladesh got the same feelings what they had felt in 16th December of 1971. In Bangladesh, the month of December is the month of victory. The victory day of Bangladesh-freedom war 16th December is not only a remarkable day for Bangladesh in December but also, Bangladesh has many big and small victories in this month. Besides before the victory day of 16th December, a mourning day clouded the sky of Bangladesh, it is Fourteenth December, the` martyr intellectual day’ of Bangladesh. It was only two days back from the victory day of Bangladesh. Pakistan army and their collaborators killed several hundreds of Bengali intellectuals in a planned way for creating an intellectual crisis in Bangladesh, not only that but also those intellectuals were one of the brains of the freedom struggle of Bangladesh.
Abdul Quader Molla, the first war criminal who was hanged, was the killer of three intellectuals, besides under his leadership more than thousand people were killed. He was so brutal; he himself crashed the head of a two years baby catching his leg and hitting against the floor. For his brutality, he was known as the butcher of Mirpur. In 1971, this war criminal lived in the then suburb of Dhaka named Mirpur and he had operated all of his killing missions at mainly Mirpur area. Therefore, he was known as the butcher of Mirpur. However, though it had been done after 43 years but it was a great tribute to the martyr intellectuals that only one and half days before the martyr intellectual day, Bengali nation could hang a killer of the intellectuals. In 1971, he killed a renowned female poet named Meherun Nesa and two renowned journalists named Khandaker Abu Taleb and Golam Mostafa. He was trialed against six charges. In those six charges were 1. Mudder of Pallab 2. Killing of Meherun Nesa, her mother and two brothers 3. Mudder of Kondokar Abu Taleb 4. Killing of Osman Gani and Golam Mostafa 5. Killing of 344 people at Alubdi village 6. Killing of Hazrat Ali and five members of his family; rape. International War Crime Tribunal (ICT) and Supreme Court of Bangladesh proved all six charges. Though the ICT had given him life time sentence but finally he got the death sentence from the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
Here it is to mention that, before getting the death sentence of Molla, a history was written in the street by the young people of Bangladesh. When Molla was given life time sentence by the ICT , then the new generation of Bangladesh did not accept it rather they started to fume and all the people who love their country became disappointed. In that situation, some online activists gave status in their facebook that they would gather in a place named Shahabag. It is the heart of the Dhaka city and nearby Dhaka University. However, within evening more than thousands of young boys and girls gathered there. They started to put on the candles on the street as a protest of the verdict of ICT. But before the dusk came several thousand young gathered there and they started chanting demanding the gallows of Molla. There opinion was that, killing one man is enough to get a death sentence but he killed more than 350 men so why he would get lifetime, how many people need to be killed to get a death sentence! However, within twenty-four hours, hundred thousands of young people gathered there and within 48 hours, it became a human sea. People started to gather there like the water flow of fountain. What had happened at Shahabag in Dhaka that could not be painted through words or any medium of expressions. Mother went there with her six-months-old baby, four years girl lead the chanting over night and all class of people joined there. However, at that time there was no way that, how Molla could get capital or his proper punishment because international crime act of 1973 of Bangladesh then could not allow the appeal of the victim in Supreme Court. But, the people sea which was created in Shahabag, was staying on the demand that they want gallows. At last the parliament of Bangladesh amended the law of ICT and gave the right that victim would be allowed for appealing in Supreme Court. Before bring this bill in the parliament me also wrote a special write-up in the first page of my daily newspaper that, it was must be needed to amend ICT law because it is not as per our constitution besides it contradicts with the main spirit of our constitution. In our constitution all citizens have equal rights but if victim did not get allow appealing in the Supreme Court by any law, this law would be contradicted with constitution so according to the spirit of our constitution this law must be amendable.
However, parliament amended the law and victim got the opportunity to appeal in the Supreme Court and after a long hearing with the opinion of seven amicus cure the supreme court of Bangladesh awarded Molla’s death sentence for his number six charges. Molla was hanged Thursday night at ten past one and Bangladesh got the justice for 1971 at last. The freedom struggle spirit of Bangladesh has won by this justice but Bangladesh has to walk a long from today to future because these war criminals are now more organized in Bangladesh. They are solvent in financially. They have a lot of business in many sectors. In spite of that, they have well connection with all the Islamic terrorist organizations of the world. They have been being sponsored by the ISI. Besides that, they are the main ally of the main opposition of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Like the war criminal organization Jammat –E- Islami of Bangladesh BNP also linked with all Islamic terrorist group of the world and Daud India including ULFA with the sponsorship of ISI when they were in power. So a liberal and strong government like Sheikh Hasina government is not only needed now in Bangladesh; to make a terrorist free Bangladesh along with South Asia, this type government has to govern a long run.
Swadesh Roy, Executive Editor , The Daily Janakantha, Dhaka , Bangladesh he can be reached at swadeshroy@gmail.com
 Forty-three years, a long time for a human life but it is not lon...){kind=link}