Jubilation, sweets distribution as Hasina verdict sends TSC into raptures

Crowds at Dhaka University’s TSC have erupted into celebration after Sheikh Hasina was handed a death sentence over the deadly crackdown on the July Uprising.

On Monday afternoon, the scene turns festive at about 3pm, with students distributing sweets and launching a celebratory march from the area.

Slogans have been shouted calling for execution, mentioning ropes, farm tools and references to the verdict becoming reality.

DUCSU Social Welfare Secretary AB Zubair said the verdict had come from the “blood of two thousand martyrs”, saying they would remain on the streets until “the killer Hasina” was brought back to Bangladesh to face execution.

Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall Vice-President Sadiq Sikder said the moment fulfilled a long-awaited expectation for the families of those killed or injured in the Uprising, describing the ruling as “a landmark for the judiciary”.

A fresh procession then moves from the TSC metro station.

The march travels from the VC Chattar through the Faculty of Business Studies before ending in front of the DUCSU building.

A rickshaw-puller named Latif Mia said Hasina has caused suffering, calling the verdict a result of killings, adding it is now time for execution.

The International Crimes Tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumdar in a three-member panel, has sentenced Hasina to death.

Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan has also received a death sentence. He has remained in India, as has his party leader.

Among the three accused, former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun has admitted guilt and turned state witness, leading to a reduced sentence of five years in prison.