Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul on Saturday said the fascist Awami League (AL) government had carried out brutal torture, and oppression on students on university campuses and other people across the country by branding them as Chhatra Shibir or Jamaat leaders or activists.
“During the last 15 years’ regime of the government (led by fascist Sheikh Hasina), none can speak in favour of Jamaat-Shibir and against the torture, which came down on them through the politics of tagging,” he said while speaking at a discussion at the auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum in the capital's Shahbagh area.
Dr Asif Nazrul said he became frustrated facing difficulties in publishing his writings in newspapers against the ruling party-led government in the recent past.
He said that in a democratic country like Bangladesh, he faced difficulties simply for expressing different opinions.
“Many dear and near ones left me or maintained distance with me when I asked in which law people can be beaten on the suspicion of being Shibir,” he said, criticizing the fascist government's practice of suppressing people’s freedom of speech.
“I knew three topics could not be discussed. The first one is the rule (of the country) and the second one is Hasina-India. I am not revealing the third one right now,” he said.
Noting that he had been living on the university campus for 35 years, Asif said that students were often deliberately labeled as Shibir.
Expressing regret, he said that on the university campus, not even the teachers came forward to support students who were tagged as Shibir.
Recalling the oppressive days under the fascist regime, he said: “I had to discuss everything with extreme caution during talk shows.”
“I faced numerous cases, financial hardships, and even social ostracism simply for not aligning my views with the government,” Asif said.
He accused Sheikh Hasina of destroying the natural harmony among the people of the country.
Asif shared that even expressing democratic criticism of the government caused people to fear associating with him. “One of my close friends from university, who later became a senior government official, didn’t invite me to his daughter’s wedding. However, he invited one of our classmates who was a Chhatra League leader, despite having no close friendship with him,” he added.
Paying tribute to the martyrs and the injured of the July-August Mass Uprising, he said they had ushered in a new and boundless freedom for the nation.
Asif expressed hope for a brighter future, saying: “If we fail to build a Bangladesh that is significantly better than the Awami League regime, the sacrifices and contributions of the mass uprising will be in vain.”
