One hundred and fifty-six citizens, including academics, poets, writers, artistes, and journalists on Tuesday demanded unconditional release of two youths, who were arrested after playing the historic March 7, 1971 speech of the country’s founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on its 55th anniversary on Saturday.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the citizens also demanded reform of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
It said that a mob carried out an attack in front of the police, involving the March 7 speech recognised as a world heritage by UNESCO.
‘Despite the government’s pledge to establish a democratic state and the rule of law, a mob attacked Tasnim Afroz Emi and Abdullah Al Mamun in front of the Shahbagh police station, but the police were not seen providing security or stopping the mob,’ said the statement.
Later, they were sent to jail in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, the statement said.
Tasnim Afroz Emi is a former sociology department student at Dhaka University and Abdullah Al Mamun is currently a student of the political science department at the university and a former leader of the Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Haq Hall unit of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, now a banned organisation.
The signatories questioned if playing the March 7 speech was terrorist activities.
They also demanded the establishment of good governance in the country by taking legal action against mob attacks.
The signatories included writer and professor Anu Muhammad, writer-professor Azfar Hossain, translator GH Habib, professor Khaliquzzaman Elias, professor Kamrul Hasan Mamun, poet Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, writer Ahmad Mostofa Kamal, writer and professor Rayhan Rhyne, filmmaker Nurul Alam Atique, writer Barnali Saha, writer Tina Nandi, singer Arup Rahee, human rights activist Rezaur Rahman Lenin, environmental activist Amirul Rajib, ethnic minority leader Alik Mree and cultural organiser Bithi Ghosh.
However, other than Emi and Mamun, another youth Asif Ahmed Shoikot, a former physics student and former employment affairs secretary of the banned Chhatra League’s Shahidullah Hall unit, was also arrested and later sent to jail in the same case.
