Photos of crimes against humanity convicts removed after student protests

The Rajshahi University administration has removed from a billboard the photos of individuals convicted of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War following protests by students. The images, displayed under the title "Judicial Killing," were erased on Sunday night.

The billboard had been installed on the university's Paris Road on Friday by Novoculture, a cultural platform. The platform is directed by Salahuddin Ammar, general secretary of the Rajshahi University Central Students' Union (RUCSU).

Demanding the billboard's removal, a group of students staged a sit-in in front of the university's administrative building on Sunday afternoon. At around 10:45 pm, University Proctor Professor Mahbubur Rahman informed the protesters that the administration had decided to remove the images, after which they withdrew their protest.

One of the protesters Sadeq Rahman said, any attempt to normalise identified war criminals on campus would not be accepted. He said the demonstration was withdrawn after the administration assured them that the billboard would be removed, warning that further programmes would be announced if it was not.

According to university sources, Novoculture had installed several billboards on Paris Road to commemorate the July mass uprising. One of them, titled "Judicial Killing," featured photographs of former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, former naib-e-ameer Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, former assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Mollah, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Mir Quasem Ali—all convicted of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

It also included a photograph of former BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, who was also convicted of crimes against humanity. The images of those convicted were later removed from the billboard.

Professor Mahbubur Rahman told Prothom Alo that after students raised objections, the administration asked RUCSU General Secretary Salahuddin Ammar to remove the billboard. When he declined to do so, the university removed the objectionable images.

Fuad Ratul, convener of the university unit of the Socialist Students Front, said neither the campus nor the country should allow any attempt to normalise war criminals.

He added that the 2024 movement and opposition to Sheikh Hasina should not be used as a pretext to rehabilitate the ideology associated with convicted war criminals.