Four killed in clashes in Bangladesh following war crimes verdict

Dhaka: Clashes between Jamaat-e-Islami activists and the police continued unabated today, as violence in Bangladesh claimed four lives after a top leader of the fundamentalist party was given a life term for “crimes against humanity” during the 1971 Liberation war. Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Abdul Kader Mollah was sentenced to life by a special tribunal here yesterday, sparking riots in different parts of the country. Five of the six charges against Mollah were proved during the trial. [caption id=“attachment_616313” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] AP.[/caption] Authorities called out paramilitary troops to guard the capital Dhaka as political violence between the police and Jamaat-e-Islami activists overnight claimed four lives in the port city of Chittagong. The Jamaat-e-Islami called a nationwide shutdown for the second consecutive day to halt trials of their several top leaders in two special courts for the 1971 war crimes. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at the outskirts of Dhaka and southwestern Khulna, while protesters exploded home-made bombs in the country’s north, but there were no reports of injuries. Meanwhile, thousands of youngsters thronged a major square here demanding tougher punishment for Mollah, prompting a government decision to appeal against the verdict. “We have decided to file the appeal in the Appellate Division (of the Supreme Court)… we will file it as soon as possible,” attorney general Mahbubey Alam told PTI. He said the prosecution would challenge the acquittal of Mollah in one of the six charges in which the International Crimes Tribunal found him “not guilty”. The youngsters, mostly university students, and internet bloggers, angered by the “lenient verdict”, converged at the Shahbagh Square at the heart of the city yesterday afternoon and grew in numbers gradually, staging a candle-light vigil throughout the night. These protesters stayed back at the square defying the Jamaat-e-Islami bandh. PTI