ASM Abdur Rob, president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, yesterday at a programme said if chanting "Joy Bangla" is considered a crime, he should be hanged.

"I was the chief of the Joy Bangla Force, and many others were with me. If saying Joy Bangla is a crime, then hang me. There is an ongoing court case regarding this matter, so I will not comment further," he said.

Rob, who first hoisted the red-green flag of Bangladesh on March 2, 1971, made these remarks during a discussion organised by the Serajul Alam Khan Research Centre on the occasion of Serajul Alam Khan's 84th birth anniversary.

The discussion was held at the research centre's office at Baridhara DOHS.

"During the Liberation War, those who were shot and killed embraced death while chanting Joy Bangla. After achieving victory, these two words, Joy Bangla, were used to celebrate the triumph. They proclaimed Banglar Joy, Bangaleer Joy [Victory of Bengal, Victory for Bangalees]", he said.

He added, "You [interim government] have officially issued a gazette making the rebel poet [Kazi Nazrul Islam] the national poet. I, along with Abdul Kuddus Makhan, escorted him from the airport to his residence. The rebel poet also wrote Banglar Joy, Bangaleer Joy".

Talking about the Constitution, he noted, "The Constitution cannot be annulled; it can only be amended."

He said Sheikh Hasina's rule has surpassed Hitler's fascism in terms of authoritarianism.

During the Liberation War, those who were shot and killed embraced death while chanting Joy Bangla. After achieving victory, these two words, Joy Bangla, were used to celebrate the triumph. They proclaimed Banglar Joy, Bangaleer Joy.

— ASM Abdur Rob

Speaking about Serajul Alam Khan, Rob said he was not just a person; he was an institution. As long as the Bangalee nation exists, it will remember Serajul Alam Khan.

Nagorik Oikyo convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna said if people desire a better country, they need a strong political party. In the absence of a good political party, it is essential to create one.

Reflecting on Serajul Alam Khan, Manna said, "Serajul Alam Khan was my organisational mentor [guru]. His contributions to the country's liberation are profound and deserve widespread recognition."

Nazmul Haque Pradhan, general secretary of  Jatiyatabadi Samajtantrik Dal, said that students who led the anti-discrimination student movement are now talking about the proclamation of the July uprising.

"But proclamations are made before a movement, not after," he said.

Professor Salimullah Khan said, "If someone claims that after the 2024 July uprising, they will erase the history of 1971, it would not be wise."

He pointed out that the crisis in Bangladesh stems from a lack of creativity among political parties.

On the Chattogram Hill Tracts crisis, he said, "The country created the CHT crisis but failed to resolve it."

The event, chaired by Raihanul Islam, chairman of the Serajul Alam Khan Research Center, was also addressed by Gono Odhikar Parishad's General Secretary Rashed Khan, freedom fighters Mozzammel Haque Bir Pratik, and Anowar Hossain.