Basanta Utsab in Uttara cancelled amid obstruction

Despite receiving the necessary permits from the Dhaka North City Corporation and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the “National Basanta Utsab Organising Council” has been unable to hold its Basanta Utsab, or spring festival event, in Uttara, reports bdnews24.com. 

A source among the organisers told bdnews24.com that attempts were even made overnight to try and convince those opposing the event. Even after the organisers promised to remove one organiser who was accused of being an Awami League accomplice, it was still not possible to hold the event.

As every year, Basanta Utsab events were set to be held this year at an open stage in Uttara alongside corresponding events at the Dhaka University Fine Arts Faculty’s Bakultola and Old Dhaka’s Bahadur Shah Park. 

Though the Bakultola and Old Dhaka events proceeded as planned, the Uttara event was not held.

Manzar Chowdhury Sweet, general secretary of the National Basanta Utsab Organising Council, said: “According to the law, we applied to the Dhaka North City Corporation for permission. They gave us permission. We paid the fee to rent the allocated venue. We got permission from police as well. But, due to obstruction by locals, we could not hold an event there today.”

An individual named Emon Rahman Farhad is said to have led the opposition to the event. 

When contacted about the incident, he claimed he was a spokesman for the Turag Thana branch of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement and said that since the fall of the Awami League Government, the Uttara Youth Welfare Association has been in charge of maintaining the open stage in Uttara.

“Their representative in Uttara who is organising the festival is an accomplice of the Awami League,” he said.

When asked the name of the person he said was an accomplice of the Awami League, Emon said: “I don’t know his name.” 

Emon said another reason for blocking the event is that the organisers did not use the correct name of the stage on the banner.

“After Aug 5, we named this stage the ‘Mir Mugdha Mancha’. But the people of the Basanta Utsab have identified it everywhere as an open stage. We have been maintaining this stage for seven months.”

Asked whether the name has been changed to the “Mir Mugdha Mancha” by the city corporation, he said: “We told the city corporation. An official came and inspected the place. It will be done.”

bdnews24.com has seen a copy of the letter sent by the city corporation to the Basanta Utsab committee.

It says, “The open stage adjacent to Rabindra Sarani in Sector 3 in Uttara, owned by the city corporation, has been allocated for the Basanta Utsab.”

When asked why he was responsible for the stage, Emon said: “It is not me. We are currently maintaining the stage.”

Emon said that the National Citizens’ Committee and the Anti-discrimination Student Movement had cancelled the event.

Several attempts were made to contact National Citizens’ Committee spokesperson Samanta Sharmin and Anti-discrimination Student Movement spokesperson Umama Fatema on the matter, but they did not respond.

Asked about the situation, National Citizens’ Committee Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar said: “We have not learnt anything about this yet. We will look into the matter.”