A national mass inquiry commission was formed on Monday to investigate the crimes of killing, shooting, torture and mass arrests of students and people linked to the student protests for quota reform in July 16–21.
The commission was announced at a human chain of lawyers, organized by the Lawyers’ Society on the Supreme Court Bar Association premises on Monday noon.
The commission members included renowned teachers, lawyers, cultural activists and representative of the students’ guardians.
Senior lawyers Shahdeen Malik, Tobarok Hossain, Sara Hossain, Jyotirmoy Barua and Rashna Imam, writer and academic Salimullah Khan, teacher Mahfuzul Haque Supan and Saimum Reza Talukder were made advisers to the commission.    Â
Former Supreme Court judge Md Abdul Matin and former caretaker government adviser and rights activist Sultana Kamal have been made joint conveners of the commission.
Writer and researcher Maha Mirza and Dhaka University professor Tanjimuddin Khan have been made members secretary of the commission.
Other members of the commission include senior lawyers ZI Khan Panna, Aneek R Haque, journalist and columnist Abu Sayeed Khan, Dhaka University mass communication and journalism’ professor Gitiara Nasrin and senior journalist Ashraf Kayser. Â
The participants demanded trial of the mass killings, immediate end to arrests and torture of the ordinary people and protesters in fictitious cases following the student movement.Â
More than 100 lawyers took part in the human chain where lawyers ZI Khan Panna, Tobarak Hossain, Sara Hossain, Aneek R Haque and Aynunnahar Siddiqua, were among the speakers in the programme moderated by lawyer Jamiul Haque Faisal.
Panna told the human chain that the government constituted criminal offences by firing on protesters.
He said that the government and law enforcement agencies members called the protesting students as ‘miscreants’ as the occupant army called Bengalis during the country’s Liberation War.   Â
Lawyer Tobarrak said that the students’ peaceful movement was instigated by several ministers leading to the violent situation during the movement.
