The organizers of the Tetultala field protection movement held the one-year anniversary event on a limited scale in Kalabagan on Saturday evening.
Kalabagan police station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam said: “The authorities did not grant permission to hold the program in light of the upcoming SSC exam and considering the local residents. However, we are not obstructing their peaceful celebration.”
Aside from this, the organizers lacked the necessary approval from the DMP commissioner to hold meetings or gatherings on the grounds with a sound system or microphone, he added.
So, the organizers, locals, children, cultural organizations, and activists from various organizations circled the area and gathered at the ground with a small procession at 5.25pm to mark the one-year anniversary of the victory in a limited scale. Children had placards with the notes of victory rally.
However, the organizers said that they will organize the event once the SSS exams are over. Some 25 members, including female police covered the field and surrounding roads since the evening.
Sayeda Ratna said: “Police refused to grant permission. Cultural practice is almost disappearing from this society, we have to move forward to continue it. We wanted to do a cultural program today in this field with children.”
A member of Tetultala field protection movement committee said: “We submitted the application to the Kalabagan police station on Thursday. However, it was stated in the application form that we would hold the event and let people know about it. Then the OC told us that it was incorrect and that we should submit a written request for permission. Later, we fixed it and sent it via Kalabagan police station to the DMP commissioner.”
Rights activist Khushi Kabir said: “It was difficult for us to prevent the authorities from converting this playground into a police station. We wanted to celebrate the occasion with a cultural evening. But considering the current circumstances, it cannot be done today. So we will do this celebration later. This field is now our playground, which we have managed to get by uniting the community.”
Architect Iqbal Habib said: “To save the canals, waterways and fields in different areas there is a need for strong movement and demands from the local residents and all levels of people. And this field is proof of how it is possible to achieve.”
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) Chief Executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan said: “We expected a victory rally today, children would stand with placards in the field. We saw many police standing around when we arrived the spot. However, thanks to the administration for allowing us to stand on the field and speak.
“We all agree that tomorrow is the start of the SSC exam, and as many of our kids are candidates, the celebration of this event may cause challenges for them. However, we will do this later and anticipate having the full support of the administration at that time,” she added.
Last April, Tetultala field at Kalabagan Lake Circus Road was handed over to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) for the construction of a police station, ignoring the repeated call from the neighbourhood against the decision.
On April 24, 2022, police came under severe criticizm after detaining Udichi member Syeda Ratna and her underaged son for protesting the construction work of the police station. They were released after 13 hours.
The nation witnessed a veritable battle for the Tetultola playground, where the administration sought to build a police station over a land that has been a known space for children to engage in play. Thankfully, reason did ultimately prevail, and the protestors won out in preserving the playground, one of the few in the entirety of the capital city.
