Ex-minister Shahjahan Khan declared persona non grata in Khulna

Nirapad Sarak Chai organised a human chain in front of Khulna Press Club on 8 February to protest against former shipping minister Shahjahan Khan's 'unsavoury' remarks about organisation's founder and chairman Ilyas Kanchan
Prothom Alo

Former shipping minister Shahjahan Khan has been declared persona non grata in Khulna for making ‘unsavoury’ remarks about the founder and chairman of the organisation for safe roads, Nirapad Sarak Chai, film actor Ilyas Kanchan. This declaration was made at a human chain formed at 4:00pm Monday afternoon in from of Khulna Press Club.

The Khulna district and city branch of Nirapad Sarak Chai organised the human chain in protest of the adverse remarks against Ilyas Kanchan. Leaders and activists of various political, social and voluntary organisations joined the human chain.

While speaking as chief guest at a conference of the Bangladesh road transport workers federation in Rajshahi on Friday, Shahjahan Khan referred to Ilyas Kanchan as ‘bekub’ (idiot).

Speakers at the human chain on Monday said that while addressing a workers’ conference in Rajshahi, Shahjahan Khan had made objectionable and unsavoury remarks about Ilyas Kanchan. They said that his remarks not only angered the people of the country, but also was an affront to the prime minister Sheikh Hasina. After all, the prime minister has bestowed the Ekushey Padak upon Ilyas Kanchan for his contribution to social welfare. She also lent her support to the Nirapad Sarak Chai movement, declaring 22 October as National Safe Roads Day.

The speakers went on to say Ilyas Kanchan was working tirelessly for road safety. Yet Shahjahan Khan was hampering the implementation of the Road Safety Act 2018 in various ways. He was instigating the transport workers. He was threatening Ilyas Kanchan, which amounted to insulting to the prime minister and the people of the country. They demanded that he apologise to Ilyas Kanchan immediately.

They threatened to go for a bigger movement if he did not apologise. The Nirapad Sarak Chai leaders also declared Shahjahan Khan persona non grata in Khulna for his remarks against Ilyas Kanchan.

The human chain event was presided over by Nirapad Sarak Chai city president SM Iqbal Hossain.