A legal notice was issued on Sunday to halt the Mongol Shobhajatra, a traditional procession held on the occasion of Pohela Boishakh every year.
The notice was sent to the secretaries of Culture, Religion and Home ministries, along with the deputy commissioner of Dhaka and the dean of the Fine Arts Faculty of Dhaka University.
Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan sent the notice by registry post.
The notice states that Pohela Boishakh is an essential part of Bangali culture, and for thousands of years, people of various religions have celebrated it by respecting each other's faiths.
In the notice, Hasan expressed concern that Mongol Shobhajatra is an artificial event that has been introduced into the Bangali culture and that it is not a necessary component of the traditional Pohela Boishakh festival.
The notice further stated that the term “Mongol” has religious connotations and showcasing various sculptures of birds, fish and other creatures is offensive to the religious sentiments of the Muslim community.
“This is a direct violation of Article 2 (a) of the Bangladesh Constitution,” the notice warned, adding that insulting Islam is punishable under Section 296 (a) of the Penal Code.
Therefore, the recipients of the notice were urged to take action to stop the "unconstitutional, illegal, and artificially created" Mongol Shobhajatra.
The notice also mentioned that if no action is taken, a writ petition will be filed in the High Court regarding this issue.
Every year, on April 14, students of the Fine Arts Faculty of DU bring out the Mongol Shobhajatra from Unesco as an intangible cultural heritage in 2016.
