Ban the short film against women: ASK

Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) in a statement yesterday demanded banning of a short film inciting discrimination against women and prosecution of its makers.

The ASK also strongly condemned and protested the attempt to incite discrimination against women by the makers of the short film that went viral on the social media.

Even though smoking in public is a punishable offence for both men and women according to the “Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act 2005 (Amendment) 2013”, the film makers in their short film “Boishomyo” secretly recorded only women who were smoking in public places.

The film contains derogatory remarks against smoker women and encouraged the audience to spread the video on the social media in order to stop women from smoking, the ASK said.

Such discriminatory acts against women contradict the country's laws and the constitution and are tantamount to issuing Fatwa (religious edict) on women.

Spreading such inflammatory and instigating material is a punishable offence under various laws including the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006. 

Therefore, the short film needs to be banned and all the people affiliated with the film including its producer Hurricane Production and its director Hayat Mahmud Rahat need to be brought to book, the ASK said.