Police block cultural activists’ protest in Dhaka

Cultural activists had called a human chain in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, to protest against the obstruction of female baul singers from performing in Sunamganj. Accordingly, they gathered in front of Meena Bazar at Dhanmondi 27 at around 4:00 pm today, Monday. However, police prevented them from holding the protest. One person was detained and taken away by police.

From 3:30 pm, more than 100 police personnel were seen taking position in the Dhanmondi 27 area near Meena Bazar ahead of the planned protest.

At around 4:00 pm, several cultural activists gathered in front of the supermarket under the banner of “Protesting Artistes and People”. They said they had gathered to hold a human chain protesting “attacks and aggression by goons carrying out violence in the name of the Tawhidi Janata against Baul music and other cultural events in various parts of the country”.

Seeing the heavy police presence, theatre activist Sumana Islam approached the police to ask whether they would be allowed to hold the human chain there. Another activist, Dipak Shil, joined her.

During their conversation, police were heard saying that they had received instructions from higher authorities to ensure that the participants did not make provocative remarks or chant provocative slogans during the protest.

Police officers present at the scene were also heard saying that a group of people had held a human chain at the same location a few days earlier and chanted the slogan “Joy Bangla”. In response, Dipak Shil said, “Why? Has the slogan ‘Joy Bangla’ become spoiled or something? We chanted it during the July uprising, too.”

Police then asked Dipak Shil to identify himself. An argument ensued, and officers detained him and dragged him into a police vehicle.

Dipak Shil is a former president of the Bangladesh Chhatra Union. Sumana Islam tried to stop the police from putting him into the vehicle. She alleged that the officers had also confronted her aggressively and manhandled her. “They dragged me around, too. The police cannot treat a woman like this,” she said.

Claiming that Dipak Shil had been detained without any reason, Sumana Islam said, “We condemn this. We demand Dipak’s immediate release.”

Asked about the incident, Mohammad Ibn Mizan, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Tejgaon Division, said, “When we asked them not to use provocative slogans or make provocative remarks, they responded by asking whether the slogan ‘Joy Bangla’ had become spoiled. Following an argument, one person was detained initially.”

After the scuffle with police and Dipak’s detention, the protesters stood together at around 4:20 pm and chanted slogans, including “Moulobadider Thikana, Ei Banglai Hobena (There is no place for fundamentalists in this Bengal)”, “Songskritir Upor Hamla, Ghure Darao Bangla (Stand up, Bengal, against attacks on culture)” and “Tomar Amar Thikana, Padma, Meghna, Jamuna ( The Padma, Meghna and Jamuna are the home of you and me)”.

Faruk H Khan, one of the organisers of the human chain, told journalists, “If even a sit-in like this cannot be tolerated, there is nothing more we can do. Baul and Bengali culture are under attack across the country. We strongly condemn and protest against these attacks.”

The protesters left the area at around 4:30 pm.