A divided country, how red is red blood!

  • Kabir Ahmed, Assistant Editor, Barta24.com
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Photo: Barta24.com

Photo: Barta24.com

Blood color is always red. But the color of blood in the divided country also raises questions. What is the identity of the deceased? The question arises whether it is BNP-Jamaat, Awami League or any other party. His political identity is sought. After that, the process of legalization continues based on the formula of political identity.

বিজ্ঞাপন

No one has exact statistics on how many 'lives' have been lost in the student movement. However, the discussion mainly revolves around Abu Sayed, a student of Begum Rokeya University. Abu Sayed gave the chest in front of the police. His life risking his claim has created a stir across the country. The video of him being shot has gone viral. Police shot him multiple times. Sayed didn't give up even in the first shot, showed his youthful spirit when invited to shoot again. Like Mukund Das's song 'Bhoy ki morone...' is uttered in his bravery.

Some online activists have highlighted his political identity, overshadowing his bravery in a divided country. Abu Sayed was not an agitator, but a Jamaat-Shibir worker, such a campaign insisted. Abu Sayed posted on Facebook on the death of war criminal Delaware Hussain Saeedee by writing 'Goodbye Rahbar’ that post was shared by many people on Facebook. Sayed has been involved in various pro-Jamaat-Shibir online activisms at various times while campaigning. There is a lack of sense that even if someone joins Jamaat-shibir, there can be no justification for killing him.

বিজ্ঞাপন

Along with the news of Abu Sayed's death, there was an equal campaign by pro-BNP-Jamaat activists. Many expressed joy by writing 'Alhamdulillah' under the news of the death of BCL leaders and the police. For them, the death of someone who is pro-Awami and police is happy news.

This change among people is the result of divisive politics. All but partisans and those of their own ideology are part of a campaign that is unwelcome and abandoned. This division, on the one hand, incites violence, and on the other, contributes to the change in the human qualities and human character of the people.

One of the main demands of the student movement was the abolition of the quota system. It is alleged that the quota system is hindering the job opportunities of talented people. The agitators were particularly against the 30 percent quota for freedom fighters in government jobs. Apart from this quota, there were district quota, women quota, disabled quota, minority ethnic group quota; That is, before 2018, 56 percent was under quota. However, in some recent government recruitments, merit was more than quota. This was noticeable throughout the movement.

A section of people in extreme anger questioned the liberation war and the heroic freedom fighters by opposing the freedom fighter quota to end the quota system. In the speech of many people, the freedom fighters were taunted, the anger was overflowing. It gave birth to a campaign that the state was giving everything to the freedom fighters and their families. The country was under the grip of partition. While the freedom fighters sacrificed the golden time of their youth for the sake of the country, the lack of this sense is observed. Honoring the brave freedom fighters is the right, but only because of this quota system, the freedom fighters became the target of humiliation.

In this opportunity, the political parties outside the ideology of the liberation war took advantage of it. BNP and pro-Jamaat online activists are in the forefront. There is also an attempt to glorify the word 'Razakar' by comparing Razakar and freedom fighters. They don't spare the opportunity to label those who oppose the word Razakar as 'brokers of India'. All the direct and indirect supporters of Awami League are termed as brokers of India by BNP supporters. For many of them, the war of liberation was also a war instigated by India, where in their words India wanted the breakup of the state of Pakistan. While the organization of this party, Major Ziaur Rahman was one of the readers of the declaration of independence on behalf of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from Kalurghat Radio Center on March 27, 1971. However, after Bangabandhu declared independence in the early hours of March 26, several others read Bangabandhu's declaration.

Ziaur Rahman, Sector Commander of 1971, received the title of 'Bir Uttam'. The Awami League government canceled this title. Although Ziaur Rahman's name is associated with the liberation war, the anti-independence forces of Bangladesh were politically rehabilitated by him. He made Razakar Shah Azizur Rahman the prime minister. War criminal Abdul Alim was made a member of the cabinet. The notorious anti-independence Sarshina Pir Abu Jafar Muhammad Saleh received the Independence Award for his contribution to education during Ziaur Rahman's regime. War criminal Ghulam Azam got Bangladesh citizenship during the reign of Begum Khaleda Zia through the path of Ziaur Rahman in the process of rehabilitation of anti-independence activists. He ministered to war criminals Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mujahid; appointed war criminal Salahuddin Quader (Saka) Chowdhury as political advisor; besides, many other notorious war criminals were installed in high places.

After 1971, especially after the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu, the birth of BNP, there was no question of leading the party in the liberation war. However, Ziaur Rahman's participation in the liberation war and the title of 'Bir Uttam' given to him during Bangabandhu's time speaks of his role in the liberation war. No matter how much the Awami League denies him for his controversial and unproven role in the assassination of Bangabandhu, the divisive attempt to brand him an anti-liberation war element because of his patronage of the anti-liberation war. Actually questioning the decision of Dhu-Government Awami League government has institutionalized division by canceling titles. If ever BNP comes to power, who will say that they will not take back the title of Bir Uttam!

At this time, those who did not speak for the Awami League government were called BNP-Jamaat, and conspiracy was sought. There is also a tendency to call it anti-state when it is said against the government. Government and state are not the same; many are unwilling to accept this subtle difference. Again, if not for BNP-Jamaat, they are also labeled as brokers of Awami League and India on the dividing line. Attempts are made to limit people's freedom of thought by dividing them. This division is so strong that the field of individual thought is gradually shrinking.

We have also seen this politics of division in the July student movement. There have also been cases where many were labeled as anti-independence due to their opposition to the freedom fighter quota. I have also seen those who demanded the maintenance of the freedom fighter quota be called agents of Awami League and India. As a result, we wanted to draw a line between the death of Abu Sayed or the life of a young person who is Awami League and who is Jamaat? Here, the red color of blood, the irreparable damage of wasting life, I saw the busyness of the red color of blood and what other colors exist! # edited by MS/0628 Hours/25.7.24