Udichi decries govt inaction despite threats prior to Dhaka office attack

The cultural organisation makes the allegation at a protest rally

Udichi Shilpigosthi has hit out at the government's failure to provide security despite alerting authorities to prior threats of an attack on its central office in Dhaka.

The cultural organisation made the allegation at a rally held on Saturday protesting the arson attack on its central office the day before.

Amit Ranjan Dey, general secretary of a faction of Udichi, said the government and administration had “completely failed” to prevent the attack, even after warnings.

He said direct threats were made against Udichi after the vandalism and arson attacks on the offices of national dailies Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, and cultural institution Chhayanaut in the early hours of Friday.

“The government had not taken any measure to protect Udichi against the threat,” he said.

As a result, the attack on Udichi was carried out without obstruction on Friday evening, he added.

Udichi’s office near the National Press Club in Dhaka caught fire around 7:30pm on Friday. The Fire Service brought the fire under control after half an hour.

Amit said the office contained historical records of the organisation’s operation over the past 57 years, which have been damaged in the attack.

The attack also destroyed furniture and musical instruments, he alleged.

The protest rally followed a procession that paraded down different streets in Purana Paltan.

Recalling the role the cultural organisation played in the people’s movement to win freedom, Amit said Udichi artists participated in the armed struggle during the Liberation War.

Udichi has become a victim of the politics of hatred and revenge that has gripped Bangladesh since the shooting of Sharif Osman bin Hadi after the announcement of the schedule for the next parliamentary polls, he said.

Speakers at the rally also alleged that the attackers had no intention of demanding justice for Hadi, who was buried in Dhaka on Saturday, a day after he passed away while undergoing treatment in Singapore.

The attackers represent a force that is trying to turn Bangladesh into a “failed state”, the speakers said.