Statue of justice removed, finally [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Statue of justice removed, finally

Local May 27, 2017

Protesters took to the streets in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country as authorities removed the statue of justice, installed on the Supreme Court premises, early Friday, meeting an ultimatum issued by Hefazat-e-Islam.
At least two dozen protesters were injured at Dhaka University as police fired teargas shells and sprayed hot water from water cannon at a procession that marched toward the Supreme Court demanding immediate reinstallation of the sculpture.
The authorities removed the sculpture few weeks after prime minister Sheikh Hasina had reportedly assured Qoumi madrassah-based Islamist organisation Hefazat leaders on April 11 of the removal of the sculpture, installed as the symbol of justice on December 18, 2016.

Clockwise from top left: Police use water cannon on demonstrators in Dhaka; police take three demonstrators into a prison van in front of the Supreme Court entrance in Dhaka; several organisations bring out a procession in Chittagong city and Ganajagaran Mancha take out a torchlight procession from Shahbagh in Dhaka in protest at removal of a statue symbolising justice from Supreme Court premises on Friday. — Sourav Lasker and Sony Ramany

The attorney general as well as leaders of the ruling Awami League and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed that the decision of the removal of the sculpture was made by the Supreme Court authorities.
No official comment from the Supreme Court was found as its registrar general could not be reached despite several attempts on Friday.
Different progressive and left leaning political parties and cultural organisations protested at the removal
alleging that the government made an unholy alliance with Islamists ahead of the national elections and the removal of the statue of justice was against the spirit of the liberation war.
Islamist groups and parties thanked the prime minister for the removal of what they called ‘idol.’
From different rallies and processions after the Jumma prayers, they also demanded removal of all ‘idols erected in the name of sculpture’ at places across the country.
The removal of the sculpture began at about midnight past Thursday when its sculptor Mrinal Haque was seen dictating some five to seven people who were hammering its pavement.
None including the media personnel was allowed to enter the court premises during the removal of the sculpture. All the gates were locked and guarded by cops inside the premises.
The cops avoided media who tried to approach them.
Mrinal came to the main gate on several occasions during removal of the sculpture and talked to journalists waiting outside the gate from inside the premises to share his helplessness in an emotion-choked voice.
He said that he was informed on Wednesday to remove the sculpture but declined to say who asked him to remove the sculpture. ‘My limbs are tied and I cannot say it.’
Replying to a query, he said that he did not know whether or where the sculpture would be installed.
Though no official comment of the Supreme Court authorities was available, official sources at the Supreme Court said that the sculpture was initially kept at a place near the annex building of the court.
As the news of removal spread at about 12:30am on Friday, a number of leaders and activists of progressive and left leaning student organisations, cultural and online activists gathered in front of the Supreme Court main gate.
They began to chant slogans against the removal of the sculpture and block the road at about 2:00am.
They also chanted slogans against the government, the prime minister, Hefazat, Jamaat-e-Islami and religious fundamentalists alleging that they were patronising the anti-liberation spirit and that the government bowed down before the fundamentalists.
A group of them suddenly rushed to the main gate and began to shake it in a bid to enter the court premises at about 2:30am.
Udichi Shilpigosthi leader Arif Noor protested at the removal on the spot saying, ‘This was not the Bangladesh we earned through a nine-month battle at the cost of 30 lakh lives and honour of several lakh of women.’
A protester, Liton Nandy, said, ‘It is the state’s negotiation going out of the spirit of the liberation war.’
The sculpture was finally removed amid protests at about 4:00am when it was taken away by a waiting pick-up van.
Mrinal Haque said that the sculpture was removed safely.
The protesters continued protests until 5:00am and left the place announcing that they would begin demonstration at Dhaka University and Shahbagh from Friday morning.
At about noon, students and political activists brought out a procession on the campus braving scorching heat from Raju Memorial Sculpture.
A large number of law enforcers deployed in the area suddenly sprayed hot water and fired teargas shells to disperse the protesters when they approached near Shikkha Bhaban adjacent to the Supreme Court, said witnesses.
About two dozen protesters were injured and four demonstrators, including Bangladesh Chhatra Union general secretary Liton Nandi and its Dhaka College unit president Morshed Halim, were detained by cops.
Shahbagh police station officer-in-charge (operations) Abul Kalam Azad said that the police detained four from Shikkha Bhaban area.
‘None was arrested formally,’ said Ramna police zone deputy commissioner Maruf Hossain. ‘Several people were detained for interrogation. Legal steps will be taken after interrogation,’ he added.
Bangladesh Chhatra Union Dhaka University unit president Tuhin Kanti Das at an impromptu protest rally said, ‘Police attacked peaceful procession without any provocation.’
Tuhin said that they would hold protestS across the country protesting at the attack on their procession and demanding of reinstatement of the sculpture.
Samajantrik Chhatra Front faction president Naima Khaled Monica and another faction general secretary Nasiruddin Prince alleged that the government was trying to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic state paying heed to Hefazat’s demand.
Ganajagaran Mancha also brought out a torchlight procession at the Dhaka Friday evening protesting at the removal of the sculpture.
At Friday dawn a group of students of Jahangirnagar University students blocked Dhaka-Aricha Highway in front of the campus. They ended their one-hour blockade at about 7:00am.
Attorney general Mahbubey Alam told media that the Supreme Court authorities decided to remove the sculpture after a meeting between chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and senior lawyers on Thursday.
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader told reporters in Gazipur that the sculpture was removed following a decision of the Supreme Court.
BNP standing committee Member Moudud Ahmed, at a discussion at the National Press Club said that the chief justice made the decision of removing the sculpture holding a meeting with senior lawyers.
Earlier on April 25, law minister Anisul Huq said that the chief justice was the sole authority to decide if the statue of justice should be removed as the government was not informed before the installation.
He said that the installation of the sculpture on the Supreme Court premises was now a matter of concern as the necessity of such a statue on the sacred place had been questioned.
He made the remarks a day after the prime minister Sheikh Hasina during a meeting of the ruling Awami League’s local government election nomination board at Ganabhaban reportedly came down heavily on those who criticised her stance on the removal of the sculpture.
The prime minister had defended her stance saying that it was half Greek and half Bengali, and in addition to that, it would be in full view of Muslims during prayers at the National Eidgah on the Supreme Court premises.
Sculptor Mrinal Haque said that the Supreme Court authorities provided the theme of the sculpture which was set up in front of its main building.
Mrinal said that it got nothing of Greek.
He described the sculpture as ‘100 per cent Bengali woman’ wearing traditional Bengali women attire ‘sari, blouse and petticoat’.
During an informal discussion in the cabinet meeting on April 17, Hasina informed her cabinet colleagues that she had already told the chief justice that the statue of Greek goddess Themis should be relocated.
She also criticised the concept of the sculpture, saying, ‘Wearing sari does not match with Greek goddess,’ according to a minister.
On October 15, 2008, the roads and highways department and civil aviation authority removed five Baul (folk singer) sculptures, including one of Lalon Shah, giving in to pressures from Islamist fundamentalists.
New Age Barisal Correspondent reported that cultural activists under the banner of Charukala Barisal held a rally in front of Ashwini Kumar Hall protesting at the removal of the statue of justice.