Shibir removes photos of convicted war criminals from TSC exhibition after student backlash

Photos of several top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders convicted of war crimes in 1971 have been removed by its student front Islami Chhatra Shibir from an exhibition at Dhaka University’s TSC in the face of protests from students.

The exhibition, organised by Shibir, was part of their programme on Tuesday marking the anniversary of last year’s July Uprising and was titled "36 July: We Will Not Stop".

It featured portraits of former Jamaat and BNP leaders who were executed or sentenced for crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s War of Independence from Pakistan.

Students quickly condemned the display, saying it glorified those found guilty of wartime atrocities.

Amid the mounting outrage, Shibir took down the controversial photographs.

The university's Assistant Proctor Rafiqul Islam confirmed the removal and welcomed the move.

“I thank Chhatra Shibir for taking down the photos in response to the students' demands,” he said.

The exhibition, set under the heading “Judicial Killings”, featured images of:

• Jamaat ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami
• Secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid
• Assistant secretaries general Abdul Quader Molla and Muhammad Kamaruzzaman
• Shura member Mir Quasem Ali
• Nayeb-e-ameer Delawar Hossain Sayeedi
• BNP Standing Committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury

All were tried and convicted by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, set up to prosecute war crimes committed during the Liberation War.

Their trials, though welcomed by many survivors and families, were denounced by Jamaat and its allies as politically motivated.