Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief advisor, has unveiled harrowing details about the Shapla Chattar massacre that took place on the night of May 5, 2013. In a revealing post on his verified Facebook page on Monday, Shafiqul described how the Awami League, under the leadership of then-fascist prime minister Sheikh Hasina, repeatedly employed the Jubo League and Chhatra League to intimidate, attack, and kill political opponents. Shafiqul suggested that these tactics continued for years until they faced nationwide resistance in July 2024.
The "Shapla Chattar massacre," as it is known, occurred in Motijheel, where violent clashes erupted between Hefazat-e-Islam supporters and security forces. Shafiqul, then working for AFP’s Dhaka office, recounted seeing large crowds of Hefazat activists gathering at Shapla Chattar and nearby streets. As night fell, bodies of the victims were brought to the area, though the details of their deaths were unclear at first.
Around 8 p.m., Shafiqul’s team confirmed the deaths of six Hefazat supporters, all shot in the head, at Baraka General Hospital. After verifying the information, AFP's death toll quickly surpassed local media reports. The following day, more bodies were confirmed at Islami Bank Hospital, and the death toll continued to climb. Shafiqul and his colleagues later learned that 20 more Hefazat supporters were killed in Narayanganj by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) troops after a police chase. Despite denials from the Awami League government, which claimed there were few casualties, AFP’s independent investigation reported 49 deaths.
Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, later estimated that around 60 people had been killed. Shafiqul also revealed that many of the killings in Dhaka were carried out by armed activists from the Jubo League and Chhatra League, including individuals he knew personally. Shafiqul recounted the tragic story of Zahid Siddiqui Tarek, who shot and killed Riaz Milky, another Jubo League member, in front of a market—a murder captured on CCTV. Tarek was later killed by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in a "gunfight."
Shafiqul Alam concluded that the Awami League, through its use of violent paramilitary groups like the Jubo League and Chhatra League, had maintained a pattern of attacking and eliminating political opponents. However, by July 2024, these tactics were met with resistance from across the country, marking a shift in the political landscape of Bangladesh.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
