Why March 7 won’t be ‘National Historic Day’: HC

The High Court on Monday asked the government to explain in three weeks why March 7 would not be declared as a ‘National Historic Day’ marking the historic speech delivered by country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971. 
The government was also asked to explain why it would not be directed to build a podium and sculpture of Sheikh Mujib in the 
way he delivered the speech raising his finger on the place at Suhrawardy Udyan on March 7, 1971.
Mujib made the historic speech just 19 days before the proclamation of the country’s independence on March 26, 1971.
The court also asked the government to explain why it would not be directed to build a podium on the places at Suhrawardy Udyan where Pakistani occupation army surrendered their arms on December 16, 1971 and the then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was honoured.
The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice Mohammad Ullah passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Bashir Ahmed, also former Supreme Court unit president of Bangabandhu Awami Ainjibi Parishad, seeking court orders to protect the places as heritage and history.
The court also asked the secretaries to cabinet division and the finance ministry to submit a report within three weeks explaining their steps to build the structures and the sculpture.
It set December 12 for passing further order on the matter.
The orders came three weeks after the UNESCO recognised the historic March 7 speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as part of world’s documentary heritage on October 30.
The court, however, declined to ask the government instantly to declare March 7 as ‘National Historic Day’, as Bashir sought, saying that the next March 7 was far away from now.
‘We will declare the March 7 as National Historic Day before the next March 7,’ the court said.
During the hearing, the court observed that Shishu Park was built in the places at the Racecourse Maidan, now Suhrawardy Udyan where Bangabandhu had delivered the speech at a mammoth rally on March 7 and the occupation army surrendered their arms, to wipe out the history. 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net