The Jatiya Chhatra Shakti on Sunday staged a torchlight procession at Dhaka University demanding the maximum punishment for Awami League President and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina over allegations of mass killings, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and crimes against humanity.

The procession began around 8pm and was followed by a brief rally at the foot of the Raju Sculpture, where leaders accused the former Awami League government of carrying out widespread state repression over the past 17 years.

They urged the interim government to ensure that any verdict delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is fully implemented without fear, pressure or political consideration.

Addressing the rally, Chhatra Shakti leaders said there must be “no room for sympathy counting” in deciding Hasina’s punishment.

They claimed that even “a thousand hangings would be insufficient” to account for the alleged crimes committed during her tenure.

They also warned that anyone attempting to obstruct the trial process should be brought under legal scrutiny.

Dhaka University Chhatra Shakti President Tahmid Al-Muddassir Chowdhury alleged that Awami League “political cadres are preparing for violence once again”, while certain groups are attempting to “trivialise the crimes” committed over the last decade and a half.

He added that the organisation would take a strong stance against any such attempts, insisting that the ICT verdict must remain unchanged.

“We will not let Sheikh Hasina escape punishment on the blood of 1,500 martyrs. The verdict must remain as it is—there is no scope for any increase or decrease,” Tahmid said.

Chhatra Shakti’s Central President, Zahid Ahsan, claimed that “all of Hasina’s crimes were justified” by the state during the past 17 years and reiterated that anyone standing in the way of justice would face consequences.”

Zahid added that many Chhatra Shakti leaders and activists had been “homeless” since the July movement, remaining on the streets in what he described as a struggle for democracy and justice.

“I left home in July and have not returned yet. I will not return until every murderer is tried,” he declared.

The organisation also pressed for justice for the families of victims of the Pilkhana massacre, the Shapla Chattar crackdown and the disappearances and killings of BNP-Jamaat–Shibir activists.

Reaffirming their respect for the independence of the judiciary, the leaders emphasised that justice must reflect the violence of the past 16 years, the grief of bereaved families and the extent of state repression.

“In matters of justice, we cannot bow to any internal or external pressure,” they said.