Discover Bengal · Unfolded
❦A night-time operation became one of the most disputed episodes of 2013.
On 5-6 May 2013, security forces cleared Hefazat-e-Islam supporters from Shapla Chattar in Motijheel, Dhaka. The episode followed months of polarization around war-crimes trials, Shahbag mobilization, and Islamist counter-mobilization.[1][2]Evidence: Medium
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Security forces cleared a Hefazat-e-Islam rally in Motijheel amid the wider 2013 war-crimes-trial crisis.
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Content warnings: political violence, disputed casualty claims
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International Crimes Tribunal Begins
Contemporary Memory and Civic Protest
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Counter-mobilization religious leader
Associated with the broader 2013 Shahbag-Gonojagoron political cycle as a visible actor in mobilization, response, or legacy debates.
Bangladesh's contested public sphere around war-crimes justice, protest mobilization, and counter-mobilization in 2013.
Their presence influenced narratives, alignments, or public memory connected to the Shahbag moment and its aftermath.
Counter-mobilization organizer
Associated with the broader 2013 Shahbag-Gonojagoron political cycle as a visible actor in mobilization, response, or legacy debates.
Bangladesh's contested public sphere around war-crimes justice, protest mobilization, and counter-mobilization in 2013.
Their presence influenced narratives, alignments, or public memory connected to the Shahbag moment and its aftermath.
Spokesperson of Gonojagoron Moncho
Served as a principal spokesperson and organizer during the 2013 Shahbag protests, coordinating public messaging and nationwide mobilization around war-crimes justice demands.
Shahbag/Gonojagoron Moncho mobilization in Dhaka and across Bangladesh after the February 2013 ICT verdict controversy.
Helped institutionalize the protest platform's voice and sustain nationwide attention on accountability and anti-impunity demands.
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Primary Sources · Official Documents and Legal Texts
Rights-focused source on security-force response during the 2013 protests around the ICT verdict and subsequent mobilisations.
Reference Sources · Encyclopedia and Archive Reference
Reference background on Hefazat-e-Islam as a mobilizing organization in 2013 politics.
Reference Sources · Encyclopedia and Archive Reference
Banglapedia reference on Bangladesh's tribunal process for 1971-related international crimes.
On 5-6 May 2013, security forces cleared Hefazat-e-Islam supporters from Shapla Chattar in Motijheel, Dhaka. The episode followed months of polarization around war-crimes trials, Shahbag mobilization, and Islamist counter-mobilization.
The crackdown matters because it linked accountability politics, religious mobilization, state force, and contested casualty narratives in one volatile episode of contemporary Bangladesh.
Its legacy remains tied to debates over protest policing, religious-party mobilization, accountability trials, and the reliability of competing casualty claims.
Contested History
Casualty figures and responsibility remain disputed. Rights reporting documents deaths and excessive-force concerns, while political actors have circulated sharply different numbers and interpretations.[1]Evidence: Medium
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