By Ashish SinghVoices from Scandinavian media and literary community stressed the immediate restoration of democracy in Bangladesh through a free and fair election with participation all parties at the earliest to improve the state of free press and security of public life. The panel questioned the Yunus regime: ‘who are they? Do they seem like Islamist fanatics carrying the legacy of the Taliban, ISIS, or al-Qaida?’
They made this call at panel dialogue on the theme ’Bangladesh, still fighting for freedom’ to explore the situation during unconstitutional interim regime led by controversial Nobel laureate banker Muhammad Yunus after the shocking fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration.
The panel discussion took place at the Swedish Writers Union in Stockholm on Tuesday (January 21). The panel included John Y. Jones, Editor and News Commentator at Ny Tid, Oslo; Arne Ruth, formerly editor-in-chief, Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, Anisur Rahman, poet and playwright and board member in the Swedish Writers’ Union. Swedish poet, editor and public educator Lars Häger moderated the discussion initiated by the Centre for Literature in Uppsala and the Swedish Study Promotion Association.
Following the panel debate, a good number of reprensetatives also participated in an open discussion. They included freedom fighter in the War of LIberation of Bangladesh in 1971 Kazi Quddis, Aktar M Zaman, pro-liberation war voices Syed Bazlul Bari Masum, Sherajul Khan, Iftekhar Jewel, Mizanur Rahman Mizan, Humayun Kabir, Hasan Miah and voice from Hindu Forum in Sweden Pia Isaksson.
The panel pointed out that following the end of Sheikh Hasina’s rule, the country experienced widespread destruction of sculptures, academies, museums, and libraries. The devastation included statues of the country’s founding president, Banglabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Nobel laureate Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, pioneer modern Bengali artist Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, pioneering feminist writer Begum Rokeya, and the country’s 1971 liberation war heroes. The perpetrators looted banks, zoos, shops, and houses.
The culprits also raped a number of girls and women. They burned hotels where many, including foreigners, were killed. They vandalized prisons and facilitated the escape of prisoners, defiled Hindu temples, killed and evicted many ethnic minority families, particularly Hindus. Secular-minded Muslim families were also under attack. Hundreds of children, women, and men were killed. They burned music studios, theatres, artworks, and musical instruments. They destroyed Mazhars (shrines) similar to how ISIS did in Iraq and Syria. Transportation, schools, and hospitals were attacked. Furthermore, they even demolished the Indira Gandhi International Cultural Centre and the National Academy for Children. Hundreds of policemen were killed mercilessly. A number of writers, journalists, artists and secular polticians were arrested. Still many of the miscreants are on the run.
