Action against Sangram for calling war criminal ‘martyr’: Quader

Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Saturday said that legal action should be taken against ‘Daily Sangram’ for describing executed war criminal Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla as ‘martyr’.

“We’ll talk to the Home Ministry on this matter,” he said while responding to reporters after paying tribute to the martyred intellectuals on the occasion of the Martyred Intellectuals Day.

Quader, also general secretary of ruling Awami League, said that the evil communal power which attacked freedom fighters, Bengalis in 1971, and killed intellectuals, is still spreading poison.

“It’s our pledge today to prevent and defeat this communal evil power. We’ll take oath to root out the poison of communalism. We’ll unite the nation,” he said.

While responding to reporters about war criminals who are staying abroad, the minister said, “We are looking into the matter [and] action will be taken on time.”

He said the government is also trying its best to bring back the killers who fled abroad.

The Daily Sangram published an article on its Thursday (December 12) issue describing Quader Molla as a ‘martyr’.

Molla, the Jamaat Assistant Secretary General, was executed on Dec 12, 2013 for crimes against humanity including the massacre of unarmed civilians and the killing of intellectuals during the War of Independence in 1971.

A smiling photograph of the ‘butcher of Mirpur’ flashing a victory sign after getting life sentence on Feb 5 sparked a massive protest demanding his death. The protest eventually turned into what later came to be known as ‘Ganajagaran Mancha’.