Liberation War Museum suspends 4 leader exhibition over security reasons

Trustees of the Liberation War Museum have said a special exhibition organized on the national four leaders at the Liberation War Museum has been postponed shortly before its inauguration. They said this decision was taken on the advice of law enforcement agencies due to ‘security reasons’.

The inauguration of the special exhibition titled ‘National Four Leaders in the Independence Struggle’ was scheduled for 4pm on Tuesday (November 3) at Agargaon. However, the organisers announced its postponement shortly before the programme was to begin.

Trustees of the Liberation War Museum Sarwar Ali and Mofidul Haque said the inauguration of the exhibition has been postponed on the advice of law enforcement agencies.

Sarwar Ali said law enforcement agencies informed them in the afternoon today that the exhibition should be kept closed due to security reasons. The inauguration arrangement has been postponed on their advice.

Several guests had also come to the museum to join the inaugural programme at 4pm on Tuesday. Shortly before that 12 to 15 policemen went there and forbade starting the programme citing security. Later the organisers announced the postponement of the inaugural programme.

Deputy Commissioner of Tejgaon Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ibne Mizan said in this regard, “A programme was being held without permission. The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs sought our help that no programme would be held here without permission. Later our police went there and just monitored.”

In reply to a question whether the programme has been cancelled, he said the museum authorities forbade that no programme would be held.

According to the museum’s predetermined schedule, the inauguration of the exhibition was to take place at Gallery No 6 on the sixth floor at 4pm. Official of the government during the Liberation War and former secretary Waliul Islam was scheduled to speak at the programme.

The museum trustees had taken the initiative to organise the exhibition from November 3 to November 17.

After the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with his family on August 15, 1975, his four close associates and top four organisers of the Liberation War Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, M Mansur Ali and AHM Qamaruzzaman were killed in jail on November 3.

Highlighting the purpose of the exhibition, Sarwar Ali said programmes on the events after December 16 are not usually held at the Liberation War Museum. Today’s exhibition was mainly organised centring the preparatory phase of the national four leaders in the Liberation War and their historic role during the Liberation War; it was not a programme of any ordinary Jail Killing Day.

In reply to a question whether he received any explanation as to why the security concern of the law enforcement agencies arose at the last moment, he said we did not want to raise any question in this regard. Surely the convenient aspects of the emerging situation have been considered, and the issue of security is the most important to us.

When asked whether permission of the law enforcement agencies was taken for organising the exhibition, Sarwar Ali said usually there is no such law for this type of programme or household programme. And it was publicised three-four days ago. So this is unexpected to us at the last moment.