Emboldened Hifazat will now exert more pressure: Prof Serajul Islam

Leading writers, academicians, artists and cultural activists have reacted sharply to the removal of the Lady Justice sculpture from the Supreme Court premises, warning that from now on, the Islamic hardliners will exert more pressure on the government.

Joyanta Sahabdnews24.com
Published : 26 May 2017, 09:24 PM
Updated : 26 May 2017, 09:46 PM

Dhaka University Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury thinks "Hifazat-e Islam will create political issues and exert more pressure now."

Cultural activist Kamal Lohani says now it is time to think which way the country is heading.

"The Islamic radicals hit the spirit of Liberation War when they raised the demand for removing the statue," says Shahriar Kabir, who has campaigned for war crimes trial.

Artist Nisar Hossain, criticising the process of removing the statue, says "it is unacceptable that the people who did not want Bangladesh will determine the placement of sculptures."

The statue, removed under the cover of night on Friday, was a variation on the Greek goddess Themis in a sari.

Religious hardliners claim the figure goes against Islam. According to them, the statue erected in December 2016, holding the familiar sword and scales of justice in her hands, amounted to idolatry.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina acceded to the demand. She wondered why Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha had given the go-ahead to the installation of the sculpture at the court premises at the first place.

Hifazat-e Islam, Awami Olama League and several other Islamist organisations had demanded the removal of the statue before Ramadan and their demand was met three days before the month of fasting is to begin.

When the statue was being removed at night, Ganajagaran Mancha activists and some student organisations demonstrated at the Supreme Court gate.

Protest programmes were also held throughout the day in Dhaka University area.

Reached for his reaction to the issue, Professor Choudhury told bdnews24.com: "It was not right in any way to displace the statue."

Referring to Hifazat and the other Islamist organisations, he said, "This will give the Hifazat leeway to exert more pressure and create political issues. They should not be allowed to do this. They will keep bargaining."

"They will take advantages from other parties too after getting it from from the ruling party. That's how they are gathering support.

"The removal of this sculpture is unacceptable, unfortunate," he said.

Kamal Lohani dubbed the entire episode 'shameful'. "The government, that claims to uphold pro-independence spirits, is compromising with the radical, communal forces," he said.

"We should think in which direction we are going. This government did not bring back secularism of Bangabandhu's 1972 Constitution even though it had the opportunity. On the contrary, they brought changes to textbooks as per Hifazat's demand."

Chief Justice Sinha decided to remove the statue after consulting senior lawyers after Hasina gave in to the Hifazat demand. The lawyers were also for the removal.

Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee Acting President Shahriar Kabir said, "The chief justice did it. No one has the power to touch a Supreme Court statue without his instruction. Why he had it installed and now removed?

"By removing it he bowed to Hifazat demand," he said.

He remembered that Hifazat had protested against the appointment of Sinha as chief justice because he is a Hindu.

"Will the chief justice resign now? This is also a demand by the Hifazat," he said.

He said parties like the BNP and Awami League compromise with communal forces at different times for political gains, and they would have to answer to the people later for doing so.

"But if the chief justice bows to Hifazat demand, where shall we go?" he asked.

He alleged that Hifazat and its chief Shah Ahmed Shafi were linked to crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.

"Is it our chief justice's duty to understand Hifazat's agenda?" Shahriar Kabir asked.

Nisar Hossain, the dean of Dhaka University's Faculty of Fine Arts, said he thought a committee could have been formed to remove the statue. "It was removed in an unacceptable manner," he said.

"I want sculptures erected at every spot on the streets. But it cannot be that we choose the place for those in line with the demands of the people who did not want this country," the artist said.

He added that the reason behind 'communalisation' of textbooks and removal of the statue was 'same'.