One year since the July uprising has passed in the blink of an eye. We are yet to catch our collective breath as the period had been chock-a-block with incidents, political developments, and crime -- crimes of nature that we perhaps were not even familiar with. These occurrences, the political rhetoric that followed each, and now the debate and agitation over the July charter are good enough to leave one overwhelmed. The media is gearing up to cover the commemoration of the one-year anniversary, resignations and internal feud among the student leaders and activists who entered politics (or became politicians) with unconditional love and support from the people of this country, are also making the headlines.
As we enter July, let’s take a moment to scan this past June. The month was interesting in a dotty way as it presented us with a compilation of concerns which we otherwise discuss sporadically. It started with Tandob. Number one Shakib Khan could not be screened uninterrupted due to the protests of Alem Shomaj or Islamic scholars in Tangail. The Jazz Multimedia marketing official was all set to screen it during the Eid-Ul-Azha holidays with advance submitted to Auliabad Auditorium in Kalihati. But alas, madrasa teacher Hazrat Ali, who is the vice-president of local Imam Parishad, said the film could spread indecency. Unfortunately, the thousands of people who thronged Dhaka cinema halls to watch the film during the Eid holidays were engulfed in “indecency” with no one there to save them.
Then came the 29th anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Kalpana Chakma. Whenever news updates (if anyone wishes to call them updates) about Kalpana Chakma, “murder” case of suave Dhallywood actor Salman Shah or Sagar-Runi murder also surface, and I start thinking about dinosaurs. As the Earth is round and the solar system is going round and round, maybe some day dinosaurs will be reborn and these cases will make headway.
However, after attending the Kalpana Chakma ceremony in Rangamati, three participants -- Oliur Sun, Marzia Prova, and Nuzia Hasin Rasha -- were attacked by unidentified men who intercepted them and accused them of having links to “terrorist organizations” and threatened to hand them over to security forces … and then assaulted them. Oliur, a lecturer at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, was hit in the eye; while women’s rights activist Marzia was hit on the face.
On June 19, assistant professor at Rangpur’s Begum Rokeya University Md Mahmudul Haque was picked up by the police from his residence in a murder case filed by the wife of a grocery store owner. As per case details, the store owner was killed during a police operation during the anti-discrimination movement on August 2 last year. The victim's wife filed a case accusing 54 people; Mahmudul being last on the list. Teachers, journalists, and professionals from across Bangladesh strongly condemned the arrest and, in a joint statement referring to media reports, the signatories noted that the deceased grocery store owner had died of heart attack while fleeing police and that arresting a university teacher nearly 10 months after the incident appears both “motivated and deliberate.” Mahmudul was released on bail on June 23.
Around the same time, a makeshift Shaheed Minar and a mural of one of the architects of International Mother Language Day Rafiqul Islam was dismantled near Comilla Collectorate School and College. According to locals, the vandalism had been going on for quite some time. Fifty-two citizens have signed a statement condemning the attack. They have described the act as an attempt against the spirit of the language movement and the Liberation War.
On June 27, an 18-year-old was sent to jail for allegedly making offensive posts on Facebook about Abu Sayed, who was killed during the July uprising. He was produced before court under the Cyber Security Act (CSA) 2023, which has been officially scrapped. According to the case statement, the boy allegedly posted a photo of Abu Sayed on his Facebook with “indecent remarks and mocking emojis.” Following the post, activists of Students Against Discrimination took to the streets.
By now it is old news that the interim government has repealed the controversial Cyber Security Act, replacing it with a new Cyber Safety Ordinance. The move had been praiseworthy as the old CSA was known for muzzling dissent and being weaponized for political score settling. The new ordinance has chopped off clauses which criminalized criticism of the Liberation War, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, or national symbols such as the flag and anthem. People in this country will really be benefitted if the learned law experts took the trouble to make public the clauses (in the new one or the old one as detention is still on under CSA) which criminalizes criticism of the July movement.
A day later, police detained a lawyer in Moulvibazar following agitation of local Musilm communities which claimed that she had published defamatory posts against followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Facebook. No case has been filed so far but students and religious communities have gathered in front of the police station demanding her arrest.
And, finally, comes the incident that left netizens sick to their stomach. It is a relief that Fazar Ali has been arrested over rape of a woman in Comilla’s Muradnagar. He allegedly barged into the home of the victim and raped her. Locals gave Fazar a beating and sent him to hospital from where he fled and later got picked up by the police at Dhaka’s Saidabad Bus Terminal. What underscores an urgent need for boost to our mental health services and nationwide campaigns on digital literacy at a massive scale, is how the victim was videotaped in a compromising position and the video shared without any blurring across social media.
Such cases are only a small sample from the broader pool of incidents. Yet, they vividly reflect the prevailing trends of suppression and threats to fundamental freedoms as well as the escalating violence against women. Taken together, they stand as testament to the growing fear that the digital and civic space in Bangladesh is indeed shrinking.
Promiti Prova Chowdhury is project manager at Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment (VOICE). She can be reached at promiti.chowdhury@gmail.com