DHAKA: Bangladesh was rocked by a new wave of deadly violence yesterday as Islamist supporters went on the rampage to vent their fury at the execution of one of their leaders for war crimes.
Abdul Quader Molla became the first person to be hanged for his role in the country’s bloody 1971 war of independence from Pakistan when he was sent to the gallows at a prison in the capital Dhaka late Thursday.
The hanging took place at 10.01pm (1601 GMT) after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal for a final review of the death sentence handed down to Molla, who was a senior figure in the Jamaat-e-Islami party.
Molla had been found guilty in February by a much-criticised domestic tribunal of having been a leader of a pro-Pakistan militia that fought against the country’s independence and killed some of Bangladesh’s top professors, doctors, writers and journalists.
He was convicted of rape, murder and mass murder, including the killing of more than 350 unarmed civilians.
Prosecutors called him the ‘Butcher of Mirpur’, a Dhaka suburb where he committed most of the atrocities.
Fears that the execution could spark further unrest, in a country where political violence is intensifying in the build-up to deeply divisive elections, were soon realised as reports emerged of street battles in towns and cities.
Two protesters and two activists from the ruling Awami League were hacked to death yesterday.
Jamaat activists firebombed train stations, set fire to businesses and blockaded key highways, police officials said.
Activists also tried to burn down the coastal village home of one of the war crimes trial judges, local police chief Anisur Rahman told AFP.
“They tried to torch the house with kerosene. We fired rubber bullets to disperse them. No one was injured,” he said.
While there were no immediate reports of violence in Dhaka, large numbers of police could be seen on the streets in anticipation of unrest – particularly after Friday prayers on the Muslim day of rest. — AFP