Hundreds of people, political party leaders and workers on Thursday rallied at a banner and poster exhibition on the assassination of Shah AMS Kibria in a move to arouse public awareness at home and abroad to press for punishment of the real culprits, reports UNB.

A long banner made from 300 pieces of cloths inscribed ‘Rokter Akhore Shapather Swakkhar’ was put on display at the 2-hour exhibition from 4pm. The banner containing signatures of the protesters covered the area from Asad Gate crossing to Islamia Eye Hospital.

The pieces of cloths with mass signatures were collected from across the country and abroad. Many people wore blue-coloured clothes or blue ribbons on their foreheads as a mark of peaceful protest against the January 27 grenade attack in Habiganj that left Kibria and four others dead.

The Kibria family said that over 300 banners containing more than one lakh signatures were collected as the signatories demanded trial of Kibria’s killers.

Asma Kibria, her son Dr. Reza Kibria and daughter-in-law Rina Kibria, Awami League leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofael Ahmed, Abdul Jalil, Matia Chowdhury, Vice-principal Abdus Shahid, Obaidul Kader, Mofazzal Hossain Maya, KM Jahangir, Lt Col (rtd) Farook Khan, Gono Forum leader Dr. Kamal Hossain, Workers Party leader Rashed Khan Menon, DUTA president Prof Arefin Siddique, former VC Dr. AK Azad Chowdhury, Justice KM Sobhan, Shahriar Kabir and Dr. Zafar Iqbal were among others present.

At the exhibition a dummy monster made by artist Juice was seen roaming. It took seven days to make the 10-cubit structure of the demon, holding banana, a bag full of money, parliament, Shaheed Minar, Mosque, holy book, water lily, grenade, mike and coffin. The artist said he wanted to convey that “the monster is now grabbing the whole of Bangladesh”.

A total of 16 posters from five artists, including Asma Kibria, were exhibited. Various slogans--‘Save Bangladesh’, ‘No more Terrorism’, ‘No more play with blood’--were inscribed on the posters.

Commenting on the about 6,500-foot-long banner on show, Asma Kibria said she was very much happy to see people from across the country taking part in the exhibition.

“Through this participation people convey the message to the government that they do no longer want to see any more killing,” she said.

The Kibria family will organize similar exhibitions in divisional headquarters.

In his reaction Abdul Jalil said the government “failed to ensure the right to natural death”. He observed fundamentalist groups were now surfacing under the aegis of the government.

He vowed to carry forward the current “oust-government” movement for establishing a welfare government. “By establishing such a government we will bring the perpetrators of all the killings to justice,” he told the audience.

Dr. Kamal Hossain demanded effective inquiry of all grenade and bomb attacks and killings. “The people of the country are now united for that,” he said. Rashed Khan Menon demanded trial of all conspirators and the masterminds behind these killings.