Participants of Gonojagoron Mancha in the capital's Shahbagh usher in the Bangla New Year by lighting lamps (Mangal Pradeep) on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh on Sunday. Photo: Palash Khan

The Gonojagoron Mancha on Sunday, in the evening of Pahela Baishakh, announced a set of programmes to usher the new Bangla year with the promise of a Bangladesh free of war criminals.
Spokesperson of the platform Imran H Sarkar made the announcements at a rally in Projonmo Chattar, Shahbagh in the capital.
On April 29 at 11:00am, the activists of Gonojagoron Mancha will stage a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs demanding initiation of the process of banning Jamaat-e Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir.
On May 4, they will form a human chain in front of the parliament at 4:00pm demanding a ban on the political party and its student front.
On the May Day, the Mancha will organise a grand rally for workers at Shahbagh.
Meanwhile, from April 20 to May 4, the activists will conduct a countrywide campaign to drum up support for their agendas.
The Mancha will also hold a view exchange for its activists and representatives from across the country on April 27 in Dhaka.
Recalling, the 2001 bomb attack on the Barshabaran [Bangla New Year] programme of Chhayanaut that killed 10 people, Imran H Sarkar said "Justice is still pending."
"The vicious Jamaat-Shibir taking different names are still trying to harm our cultural movements," he said, adding that the Gonojagoron Mancha was demanding a ban on the politics of Jamaat because of that.
He said the programmes were aimed to involve more people and make the movement more dynamic.
Meanwhile, the daylong cultural events at Gonojagoron Mancha attracted people of all walks of life in celebration of the first day of the Bangla calendar.
In the afternoon, the protesters at Shahbagh joined hands and held them high in a harmony bond for three minutes. This was to signify the secular nature of Pahela Baishakh.
Around 7:30pm, they lit thousands of lamps and candles as part of a countrywide programme titled Aloker ei jhornadhara [The spring of light].
For many, especially the youth, the Pahela Baishakh festivities were also marked by the promise of a better Bangladesh free from communalism, petty power politics and fanaticism, said college student Rifat Nabi.
“The Bangla New Year is not only about festivities, it is integral to our history, to our struggles and sacrifices,” said Imran H Sarkar.