Cops close photo show on 'crossfire'
Police yesterday closed a photography exhibition on extra-judicial killings around an hour before it was scheduled to start at Drik Gallery in the city's Dhanmondi.
A contingent of police went to the Drik Gallery building around 3:00pm and barred the invited guests and visitors from entering the building.
The police also did not allow anybody to come out of the building, said a Drik Gallery source.
Though two exhibitions are going on on the first and the second floors of the building, the police only wanted to know whether the organisers have permission for the exhibition on "crossfire" from the authorities concerned.
However, in the face of police interference, the exhibition was inaugurated by Indian rights activist Mahasweta Devi on the road in front of Drik Gallery at the scheduled time at 4:00pm.
Officer-in-Charge of Dhanmondi Police Station Shah Alam said they have closed the exhibition first, as the organisers did not have any permission for the exhibition and secondly, as such an exhibition may cause fear in public and deteriorate the law and order.
Shahidul Alam who set up the exhibition said," Police asked me whether I have permission for the exhibition. Crossfire for which police do not need permission, then why should I have permission for the exhibition?"
He also said, they have organised thousands of exhibitions since 1993 and they never required any permission. Some of those exhibitions were even inaugurated by the present and former prime ministers.
"We organised the exhibition to raise awareness and draw the government and the court's attention to the extra judicial killings through art, Shahidul told The Daily Star.
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