February 21 recitation event halted midway in Chattogram

A poetry recitation event organised on the occasion of Ekushey February has been stopped midway by the Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (JASAS) in Chattogram.

Sources said JASAS stopped the event midway because one of the poems mentioned Bangabandhu and the Liberation War.

The incident took place near the Chattogram Shaheed Minar around 11am on Friday (February 21). The poetry recitation was organised by a cultural platform called Chittagong Abritti Sammilan.

Mishfaq Russell, one of the coordinators of the Chattogram Abritti Sammilan, told the Views Bangladesh, "Our programme was supposed to start at 9:30am and end around 12:30 pm. In the meantime, around 10:15 pm, a reciter, poet Rabiul Hussain, was reciting the poem 'Ek Sekende Matro Char Fut'. Some lines of this poem contained words like Bangabandhu, Joy Bangla, Ekattor, 7 March, Maulana Bhashani, etc. After reading these lines, leaders and activists of JASAS came and protested from the opposite side of the stage in front of the Police Plaza. The person who was reciting the poem was harassed. Later, the programme was stopped in the presence of the police. We stopped the program like helpless people."

Contacted, JASAS leader MA Musa Bablu, told Views Bangladesh, "Poems were being recited publicly praising the previous government in that programme. At that time, they were speaking in a derogatory manner while also denigrating the July Movement. Noticing this, our leaders and activists protested. At one stage, they (the organisers) realised their mistake, stopped the programme and left."

Member secretary of the Metropolitan JASAS Mamunur Rashid Shipon, told the media, "Anti-state activities were going on in that programme. That is why we protested. Later, they stopped the programme."

He said, "They are trying to bring back Sheikh Hasina. They were doing anti-state activities at the event. In the poem, they were saying that they forgot 1971, they forgot the liberation war. So, we first barred them. Later we protested. Then the boy who was reciting the poem apologised."

Abdul Karim, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali police station, told the Views Bangladesh, "We were informed that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's name was mentioned during a recitation at a programme there. Later, our mobile team went there, and in the meantime, the programme was stopped."