The Daily
Morning News
03 MARCH 1971
News headlines and details from the Daily Morning News.
News Headlines:
Other Headlines:
— Bhutto ready to fly to Dacca.
— Bhutto calls on Yahya.
— Nur urges fixing of date for NA session.
— D.U. athletics postponed.
— Struggle now against an opponent : Bhutto.
— Jamiat leader deplores Bhutto's threat.
— AL leaders appeal to Yahya.
(Staff Reporter)
Awami League chief Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announcing his programme of action yesterday evening called upon the people to "continue our common struggle in a peaceful and disciplined manner."
In a statement to the press yesterday evening Sheikh Saheb called for a provincewide hartal everyday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. in all spheres of life and observance of March 3 (today) as a day of mourning.
The Awami League chief urged for the "immediate end to " confrontation, withdrawal of Martial Law and removal at obstacles to exercise by the power that is rightly theirs."
The Awami League chief also urged the people to be alert against agents provocateurs and to maintain complete peace and discipline and to remember that everyone living in Bangladesh, no matter where he originates from or what language he speaks, is for us a Bengalee and their person, property and honour are our sacred trust and must be protected.
The following is text of the statement issued by Sheikh Mujib to the press last evening.
Unarmed boys have been fired upon today. At least two have died, and several more are seriously injured. They have been shot at because they along with rest of the people of Bangladesh had stood up to protest against the gross insult inflicted upon Bangladesh by powers.
I strongly condemn such firing and urge the element who are seeking to confront the people with force to desist forthwith form this reckless course.
They should be reminded that firing upon unarmed masses amounts to genocide and is a crime against humanity. They should know that if Bangladesh is afire, as it will be if such confrontation continues, then they would not be able to escape the flames.
We, as the elected representatives of the 70 million people of Bangladesh, were ready to sit with the representatives from the western wing on the 3rd March for the purpose of constitution making. Indeed some of the representatives from the western wing had already come to Dacca. But then a sudden and unwarranted intervention prevented this sitting from taking place.
Minority Dictation
The intervention was prompted by and intransigent minority group, which as the protector of vested interests of the western wing and their bureaucratic lackeys, had declared that the sitting should not be held except on terms dictated by them. They had even gone to the length of threatening a "deal with" other west wing representatives who dared to defy such dictations.
Such denial of the rights of the representatives of the majority of the people at the behest of the undemocratic minority is an intolerable insult to the people.
Since the people of Bangladesh would not submit to such dictation or intimidation, they are now sought to be confronted by force. It is tragic that planes which might have carried elected representatives of the western wing, should instead be engaged in lifting military personnel and arms.
If these measures are intended to cowdown seventy million Bengalees, the spontaneous demonstration of the will to resist displayed throughout Bangladesh since yesterday should prove to the world that Bengalees cannot be suppressed any more and that they are determined to be the free citizens of a free country. They will no longer tolerate being exploited as a colony or a market.
Sacred Duty
At this critical hours it is the sacred duty of each and every Bengalee in every
walk of life, including Government officials not to cooperate with anti-
Now that representatives have been elected by the people, are the only legitimate source of authority; all authorities, are, therefore, expected to take note of this fact.
In the circumstances, there is no justification for the continuation of Martial Law or military rule by a single day. I, therefore, urge the immediate withdrawal of Martial Law and immediate end to the confrontation and the removal of obstacles to the exercise by the people representatives of the power, that is rightfully theirs.
Our movement will continue till the above demands are met and till the people of Bangladesh realise their emancipation.
Programme
I am announcing our programme of act till 7th March and am issuing the following the directives to our people :
(a) province wide hartal to be observed on each day from 3rd March, 1971 to the 6th
March 1971 from 6.a.m. to 2 p.m. in all spheres including Government offices, secretariat,
High Court and other court, semi-
Exemptions
Exemptions are to be extended to ambulances, press cars, hospitals, medicine shops, electric and water supply.
All persons are urged to observe the hartal in a peaceful and disciplined manner and to ensure that no untoward incident such as looting, burning, etc. takes place.
In particular people should be alert against agents provocateurs and should remember that everyone living in Bangladesh no matter where he originates from or the language he speaks is for us a Bengalee and their person, property and honour are our sacred trust and these must be protected.
Day of Mourning
(b) 3rd March, which was to have been the day for the sitting of the National Assembly should be observed as a day of national mourning on which occasion I will lead a procession from Paltan Maidan at 4.p.m. immediately after the conclusion of the meeting being held by students league.
(c) In the events of radio, television or newspapers failing to cover our version of events or our statements, all Bengalees serving in these agencies should refuse to the voice of the 70 million to operate with such gagging of people of Bangladesh.
(d) On 7th March 1971 at 2 p.m., I shall address a mass rally of our people at the Ramna Race Course Maidan, when further directives will be issued.
Peace/Discipline
e) I would urge our people to continue our common struggle in a peaceful and disciplined
manner. I would remind them that any breach of discipline would be against the interest
of our movement and will serve the interest of agents provocateurs and the anti-
A mammoth meeting held at the Dacca University Battala under the auspices of the EPSL and DUCSU yesterday condemned the postponement of the National Assembly session and announced the programme for the commencement of a movement for the establishment of the rights of people of Bangladesh.
The meeting, biggest to be held at the University Campus and the Nilkhet road from New Market to Public Library intersection turned into an ocean of human heads as streams of processionists carrying lathis, iron rods and other weapons poured in from different parts of the city, long before the start of the meeting.
Presided over by Mr. Nur-
The mammoth meeting raised thunderous slogans denouncing the postponement of the NA session and also those who were responsible for it. Slogans were also raised supporting the programmes launched by Awami League and other political, student and workers organisations following postponement.
Continuing for nearly an hour the meeting was followed by city's one of the biggest processions. The processionists armed with lathis and rods paraded the main thoroughfares of the city including Ramna Road, Kakrail and New Eskaton Road, raising thunderous slogans
NAP Meeting
Later in the evening a public meeting was held at Palton Maidan under the auspices of the East Pakistan National Awami Party (Requisitionist group). The meeting was presided over by Prof. Muzaffar Ahmed and was addressed among others by Mr. Mohiuddin Ahmed, Mr. Abdul Halim, Mr. Nurur Rahman, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Mr. Saifuddin Manik and Mr. Nurul Islam.
The meeting in a resolution urged the students, workers, peasants and masses of Bangladesh to wage mass struggle against these conspiring to frustrate the demands and aspirations of the seven crore Bengalees.
The meeting strongly condemned the announcement postponing the NA session and described it " a conspiracy of the US imperialism". It warned the people of Bangladesh to prepare themselves against the games of the reactionary rulers and the US imperialists.
In a resolution it condemned the imposition of restrictions on newspapers and demanded their immediate withdrawal.
Bangla League
Another protest meeting organised by the Bangla League was held at Baitul Mukarram with Mr. Ataur Rahman Khan presiding. The meeting was addressed among others by Shah Azizur Rahman, Mr. Ferdous Qureshi and Mrs. Amena Begum.
(Staff Reporter)
Complete hartal was observed in Dacca and its suburbs yesterday in response to a call given by Awami League chief Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to protest the postponement of the National Assembly session which was scheduled to commence from March 3. The normal life in the city group to a half as hundreds of thousands of people paraded the main thoroughfares, held angry protest meetings and chanted slogans in favour of establishment of the rights of the people of Bangladesh.
There were no vehicular traffic on the streets. Government officers, mills and factories were all deserted.
A stream of processions went round the city and meetings were held in almost every mohallah. Effigier of Mr. Bhutto were burnt in several meetings held including at Dacca University, Paltan Maidan, Shaheed Park in Muhammadpur and Baitul Mukarram. Mammoth meetings were held at Baitul Makarram, Paltan Maidan and Battala.
A pick-
Incident of looting, arson and ransacking of shops took place at Jinnah Avenue, Baitul
Mukarram and Nawabpur. A garment shop, a liquor-
A student of Tajgaon Polytecnic School, Aziz Murcsed was brought dead to Dacca Medical College Hospital with reported bullet injury. Five other persons with reported bullet or other injuries were also brought from Tejgoan area. They are Mamun, a student of Tejgoan Polytecnic School, Haroonur Rashid of Islamia High School, Ali Hossain, an industrial labour, Nurun Nabi, a boy of 10 and Chand Mia, according to DMCH report.
Fifty more persons from several areas of the city were reported to have been admitted to the hospital with bullet injuries.
(APP)
A 10-
According to the order a 12 hour curfew will be reimposed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. everyday from today until further order.
Following is the text of the order:
Where I, Lt. Col. Chowdhury Muzaffar Ali Khan Zahid, deputy sub-
I therefore order that no persons other than military officer, police, EPR/armed forces in uniform or a person in possession of a pass issued by me or under my authority by D.C. Dacca is permitted to leave his or her house compound or the house or compound where he or she may be between the above hours.
During these prohibited hours no person, other than those exempted above, is permitted to use the streets and roads. Any person disobeying this order is liable to arrest, or if he evades or resists arrests, is liable to be fired on."
Persons requiring passes in cases of necessity such as cases of childbirth or serious illness, should apply to D.S.A. M.L. at Hq DSAML, Gulshan Model Town Dacca/ Army Control Room at commissioner's office or to the D.C. Dacca, at Magistrate's Control Room at commissioner's office between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
An official announcement said that the curfew was imposed in Dacca city following serious incidents of looting of shops, arson and killing in general in areas of Jinnah Avenue, Nawabpur Road and Thathari Bazar.
There was similar reports of violence from some other areas also.
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