Bangladesh: Killing lawmakers maybe another chapter of the terrorism

Liton was so popular and powerful in his area that he was successful to postpone the rally of GolamAzam in the1991 to ‘96 regime of Khaleda Zia. So, with all his good sides and bad sides, Liton was very much anti-Jammat; that is why, he was always a target of Jammat.

by Swadesh Roy-Jan 3, 2017

( January 3, 2017, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) A lawmaker (member of the parliament) of ruling party at Gibandha, a northern district of Bangladesh was killed on 31^st night being gunshot. The lawmaker, named Manjurul Alam Liton, was at home when three persons came by a scouter, and without giving a chance, they hit him. After taking the injured in a nearby hospital, doctor declared him dead. Liton was not only the leader of the ruling party ‘Awami league’, but also, he was a leader of a social pressure group, called, ‘Ekhatorer Ghatok Dalal Nirmul committee’( the wipe out committee of killer and collaborator in 1971). This social group has been fighting against the killer and the collaborator of 1971 since 1991.

In Bangladesh, the main killer group and collaborator of Pakistan army in 1971 was Jamata-E- Islami of Bangladesh (Jammat). They were the main group in the then time that helped commit the biggest genocide of twentieth century in the world. Three million people were killed and half million women were raped. During this period, their main leader was Golam Ajam; who died in jail in 2014; when he was awarded jail until death for being a war criminal by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. Unfortunately, these war criminals were once so powerful in Bangladesh, even two of them were the Cabinet Ministers in Bangladesh from 2001 to 2006, in the cabinet of Khaleda Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh nationalist party.

However, Liton was so popular and powerful in his area that he was successful to postpone the rally of GolamAzam in the1991 to ‘96 regime of Khaleda Zia. So, with all his good sides and bad sides, Liton was very much anti-Jammat; that is why, he was always a target of Jammat.

On 2^ndJanuary , Monday, in the regular cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh indirectly said that, Jammat has killed Liton. After the cabinet meeting I talked with some Cabinet Ministers and they confirmed that the Prime Minister indirectly said,Jammat is the killer of Liton. On 1^st January, the special branch of Bangladesh gave a primary report; in that report they indicated that jammat will be the beneficiary after the death of liton. Basically, the terrorists of Jammat are more powerful in the area of Liton. In 2013, in this area, they killed four members of police force and they torched a lot of Hindu families’ house.

However, the lawmaker killing is not the new phenomenon in Bangladesh. When Bangladesh was a new born country, then at least four lawmakers were killed; but then it was counted that, huge number of arms were in the hand of many miscreants’ groups. So then it was not counted, it was the work of the anti-liberation forces of Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh underwent a dark age within very short of its independence. The father of the nation was killed brutally and the constitution was changed to wipe out the aspiration of independence. Afterwards, for a long time the country was ruled by the military government and the party which was created by the military. In spite of that, a movement was always in Bangladesh to restore the democracy. Its history is long. But the misfortune of Bangladesh is that, political party created by the military rulers is one of the biggest parties in Bangladesh; so, they always give shelter to the collaborator of 1971. Under their shade, the collaborator group like Jammat has made an Islamic terrorist group in Bangladesh. They became more powerful after 2001. So from2001 to 2006,two law makers of Awami league were killed. In the past seven years, the terrorist of Jammat has killed many politicians, intellectuals, and the common people in the name of many terrorist groups. Now the new phenomenon, they have changed the way of their target killing. So killing of Liton may be another chapter of the terrorists of Bangladesh.

Swadesh Roy, Executive Editor, the Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bangladesh