Cops foil march against removal of sculptures

Students and teachers of Dhaka University, under the banner of Bhashkarja Rakkha Andolon, march towards the ZIA intersection from the campus to protest removal of Baul statues. They were stopped at Shahbagh intersection.Photo: STAR

Police yesterday intercepted a procession of teachers and students of Dhaka University (DU) and cultural activists near Shahbagh while it was marching towards Zia International Airport demanding erection of a statue of Lalon at the airport roundabout from where five Baul sculptures were removed.
The demonstrators under the banner of Bhaskarja Rakkha Andolon (BRA) brought out the procession from Aparajeyo Bangla on the university campus after holding a rally there at around 11:00am.
Police intercepted the procession in front of the DU Fine Arts Faculty near Shahbagh at about 11:40am.
Later, hundreds of teachers, students and cultural activists held another rally in front of the Fine Arts building and placed a five-point demand.
The demands include reinstallation of better-quality statues at the airport roundabout reflecting the country's liberation war and folk culture, trial of war criminals, modernisation of madrasa curriculum, a ban on religion-based politics and ensuring science-based education and free environment for secular cultural activities.
Eminent educationist Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury at the rally at Aparajeyo Bangla said the people (who opposed erection of Baul sculptures at the airport roundabout) are not fanatics. They are using religion for political purposes, he said.
"The people of the country are pious and the communal forces are trying to use religion and the people's religious sentiment to gain political advantage," he added.
Questioning the neutrality of the caretaker government, speakers at both the rallies alleged that it has been favouring the communal and anti-liberation forces.
Prof MM Akash of economics department of the DU and also one of the initiators of the BRA said they would continue the movement to press home their five-point demand.
"The government does not take any step against the anti-liberation and fundamentalist forces when they demonstrate on the streets violating the emergency rules. But it has barred us today from holding a peaceful rally at the airport," he said.
He also urged the democratic political parties to include their five-point demand in their election manifesto.
Dhaka University Teachers' Association (Duta) General Secretary Prof Anwar Hossain also accused the government of being biased towards the anti-liberation and communal forces.
Deputy Commander-in-chief of the liberation war and Sector Commanders Forum (SCF) Chairman Air Vice Marshal (Retd) AK Khandaker, sector commander Maj Gen (Retd) KM Shafiullah, DU social science faculty dean Dr Harun-or-Rashid, Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, Prof Muntasir Mamun, Prof Akhtaruzzaman, Prof Muhammad Samad, Prof Sadeka Halim, Prof Parvin Hasan, Prof Dalem Chandra Barman, DU Mass Communication and Journalism department's associate professor Robayet Ferdous, Sculptor Rasha, cultural activists and leaders and activists of different student bodies were present.
Meanwhile, Sachetan Shilpi Samaj (SSS), a platform of artists, brought out a candle procession from the Fine Arts Faculty demanding erection of a better-quality statue at the airport roundabout and a free environment for practising arts and culture.
They also held a view exchange meeting with the students of University of Development Alternative (UODA) on the issue on the UODA campus.
Gano Forum will form a human chain in front of the National Eidgah at 3:00pm on Sunday protesting removal of the Baul sculptures at Zia International Airport roundabout. The party will hold the programme simultaneously in other parts of the country, said a press release yesterday.