Crossing the line of ignorant arrogance is good in one sense, as it brings about the inevitable downfall of arrogant inconsistencies. These kinds of comments have been raised by the voices of non-politicized ordinary people on various comments by several officials of the current unconstitutional government led by fundamentalist groups opposed to the great freedom struggle of Bangladesh in recent time. Last Wednesday (16th October 2024) was quite an eventful day, as on this very day, the entire nation has gone through several sensational news stories. Setting an unparalleled precedent, some people under the banner of the so-called anti-discrimination student movement started protesting by occupying the premises of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. Most of the protesters, dressed in Islamic garb, were madrasah students, accompanied by some older non-students. They complained that many high court judges are 'friends' of the former 'dictatorial' Awami League government! All of them should be expelled. Although the existing law does not provide for the dismissal of high court judges, the Chief Justice of Bangladesh, bowing to the protesters, sent 12 high court judges on leave.

The media in Dhaka has also reported that a few 'meetings' have been held on behalf of the protesters with the Chief Justice! Constitutionally or in the culture of the judiciary, no Chief Justice or judge can meet with the agitators to appease them. More than this rare lapse of custom, none of the jurists could recall any instance of 12 high court judges being sent on leave at once. The surprises of the eventful Wednesday did not end here. On this day, another sensational news came in the media, quoting a statement published on the official Facebook page of the chief advisor of the current unconstitutional interim government of Bangladesh that, the government's news agency BSS said, "The advisory council of the interim government recently decided to cancel National Eight Days in a meeting.

According to the Post, the eight days that have been decided to be cancelled, are:

-Historic March 7

-March 17: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birthday and National Children's Day

-August 5: Birth anniversary of Sheikh Hasina's brother Shaheed Captain Sheikh Kamal

-August 8: Sheikh Hasina's mother Bangmata Begum Fazilatunnessa Mujib's birth anniversary

-August 15: Bangabandhu's death anniversary and national mourning day

-October 18: Sheikh Hasina's younger brother Sheikh Russell Day

-November 4: National Constitution Day

-December 12: Smart Bangladesh Day

The day of the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of independent Bangladesh and his family, has been observed as a national day of mourning for decades till this year. The interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who came to power after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government through the so-called students’ movement on August 5, 2024, excluded August 15 from the government program as a national day of mourning. After two months, the announcement came on Wednesday to cancel the 8 days observed by the previous government. It must be said that on March 7, 1971, when the demand for independence was raging, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave a historic speech at Dhaka's Sohrawardy Udyan. In this timeless speech, Mujib loudly declared, 'This time's struggle is our liberation struggle, this time's struggle is the struggle for freedom.'

This short but profoundly meaningful and directional speech inspired the entire Bengali nation to jump into an all-out struggle against the Pakistani barbarian rulers and their armies. The Bengali nation got the desired independence on December 16, 1971 through a bloody liberation war of 9 months. Bangabandhu, who declared independence before being arrested by the Pakistani invaders, was imprisoned in Pakistan in the days following the war, but the Bengali nation united in the name of Bangabandhu continued to fight to the death. Overall, Bangabandhu's 7th March speech has been recognized as a world heritage by the United Nations specialized organization UNESCO in recent years.

The great people of Bangladesh are surprised to hear the announcement of not observing the unforgettable day of the great liberation war of Bangladesh with due dignity. This interim government showed that the opposition political government did not have the courage to do so in the past days. The initial reactions on social media suggest that the current regime's obsession with erasing history will soon backfire. If we look at the events that have taken place in the last three months, what is becoming clear to us, is that the radical religious fundamentalists in Bangladesh have carried out planned arson attacks on cultural and historical institutions of the country as part of an international conspiracy. Just like in 1971, the Pakistani invasion forces continued to brutalize this country.

The fundamentalists have targeted important state institutions as well as cultural and historical institutions. The attack happened on Bangladesh's state television, where important archives of the liberation war were kept. Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhaka's Dhanmondi was set on fire and vandalized. The house which became a witness to the priceless events of the great liberation war. the memorabilia of Bangabandhu and freedom struggle were kept there. Busts of all sages are being smashed in the sculpture area of Dhaka University. Bangabandhu's great liberation war memorial sculpture, Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin's artwork, most of the sculptures in Dhaka University's Institute of Fine Arts have been demolished. Mujibnagar Sarkar's memorial sculpture at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur was not left out as part of the vandalism across the country.

Even the Indian High Commission's own building in Dhaka, the Indira Gandhi Cultural Center building, was vandalized, looted and finally destroyed by fire. IGCC building was the main diplomatic establishment and cultural bridge between Bangladesh and India at the same time. It was the first Indian High Commission building in the capital of independent Bangladesh after the Liberation War. The pride of Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore, who exists in the mind and thoughts of us. Rabindranath's memorial sculptures were not spared in the vandalism and destruction in the last few months. In the voices of the fundamentalists, the song 'Amar Sonar Bangla' composed by the great poet, which is currently the national anthem, has also been demanded to be changed for a new national anthem. In the face of massive protests across the country, silence was maintained for some time. But this Wednesday’s directive by the current unconstitutional and fundamentalist dispensation of the nation proves that they do not want to keep any trace of the liberation war and the emergence Bangladesh.

A few days back, there was news that, new thoughts are going on about the launch of Urdu programs on Bangladesh Radio. Basically, this effort is part of the pacification of the defeated power of Pakistan. India was the main ally and true friend of Bangladesh in the Great Liberation War. In the last few months, this fundamentalist group has been carrying out massive activities to showcase India as an enemy of Bangladesh, the nation which has been providing continuous support since the time of our liberation war. They ran a massive campaign to spread misinformation, especially about the recent floods, to create hatred for India, which is still going on. However, in the last two months, the anger among the common people towards this interim government has been increasing due to mass killings and oppression, gradual increase in commodity prices, arbitrary arrests, unfair dismissals in the security forces, field administration and judiciary, punitive transfers, demotions in Bangladesh. The new decisions announced by the government on Wednesday will no doubt add to the ongoing unrest and discontent.

The inevitable downfall of the arrogant pessimists will not take too long, it remains to be seen when this saying of the common man becomes a reality.

Writer: Dhruva Shimul is a History Researcher & a Journalist from Bangladesh

 

(Note: The OPINION section of The Views Express presents the articles or columns by individuals, where the writer exclusively writes on the matters of History, International Relations, Politics, Economy, Literature etc. on the basis of his or her opinion, knowledge, research & observations on the subject matter)