Rangpur-4 MP and National Citizen Party (NCP) Member Secretary Akhter Hossen today demanded justice for those killed at Dhaka's Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013, and called for state recognition of the deceased as martyrs.

He made the demand while speaking at a discussion, titled “From Shapla Massacre to July: Crimes Against Humanity, Historical Responsibility, Justice and Current Political Reality,” at the NCP central office in the capital’s Banglamotor.

Akhter alleged that the Awami League government suppressed the truth about the Shapla Chattar incident for more than a decade and did not allow the victims to be remembered.

“The families of those killed were forced into silence as any disclosure of their identities could have led to severe state persecution,” he said.

Calling for accountability, he said those who directly or indirectly supported the killings must be brought to justice.

He said the July uprising did not happen in isolation, but was the result of years of repression, including the Pilkhana massacre, the Shapla Chattar killings, politically motivated cases and suppression of student movements, including the road safety movement.

“Unlike college and university students, madrasa students had no direct stake in the quota reform issue. They joined the movement selflessly to free the country from fascist forces,” he said.

He said the state must undergo democratic reforms so that no force can be used for political repression against citizens.

Akhter added that Bangladesh should not allow either religious hatred or extremism, stressing that every citizen must be able to express their views safely.

Noakhali-6 MP and NCP Senior Joint Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud, Joint Convener Sarwar Tusher and National Ulama Alliance Convener and NCP Joint Convener Maulana Ashraf Mahdi also spoke at the event.