Calls for justice at Pahela Baishakh event amid fury over Nusrat death

Organisers of Chhayanaut’s Pahela Baishakh celebrations and visitors have observed moments of silence calling for an end to injustice as Bangladesh is celebrating the Bengali New Year.

Chhayanaut President Sanjida Khatun has briefly mentioned the death of madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi, a case that sparked public anger in the run-up to the Pahela Baishakh celebrations.

Nusrat, 18, was attacked in Feni in reprisal against sexual harassment charges against the religious school’s principal.

“Families are not protected from torture as a result of the selfish people’s inhuman personal satisfaction. Nobody — from children to the society’s young people — is protected,” Sanjida Khatun said.

She urged people from all strata of society to stand up to injustice. “We should not be silent spectators of oppression and immorality.”

“We should remain steadfast on our resolution to find remedies to injustice in the New Year. Let us celebrate such messages.”

Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla calendar, was being celebrated across Bangladesh amid traditional festivities and enthusiasm.

With the sunrise, Chhayanaut greeted the Bangla New Year with a chorus singing the songs of Pahela Baishakh, poetry recitations and traditional songs at the historic Ramna Batamul on Sunday.

The leading cultural platform observed one minute of silence with a pledge to remain vocal against any injustice.

People from all walks of life thronged different key celebrating points in Dhaka and elsewhere across the country to welcome the Bangla New Year 1426 with new hopes for a better, peaceful year.

Though Bangladesh made remarkable progress in different socio-economic indicators over the years, communal violence, social discrimination and injustice dogged it.