BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has alleged that a section of the country’s poets, writers, and actors compromised their own emotions by publicly expressing grief on August 15, suggesting they did so in pursuit of material benefits and in support of what he described as “fascist forces.”
He made the remarks on Thursday (August 21) while attending the premiere of the documentary 36-July at Tejgaon in Dhaka.
Rizvi claimed that during the previous government, a police officer was promoted to the highest post as a reward for writing a book about a political leader. Similarly, he alleged that many celebrities in the cultural arena were given flats near the runway and large sums of money.
Referring to social media posts by actors and celebrities on August 15, Rizvi said, “Artists and media figures are supposed to be the most sensitive. Yet, the sight of a friend running for water after being shot did not move them, but they posted messages of grief and praise. They have abandoned their genuine emotions.”
Drawing examples from political leaders such as former DUCSU VP Nurul Haque Nur and student leader Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, he said both had been subjected to repression during the movement. “The fascist government even assaulted the DUCSU VP, which proves how repressive their mentality is,” Rizvi added.
He described the July movement as “the collective outburst of all forms of rebellion,” claiming that 16 years of enforced disappearances, killings, and extrajudicial executions had created deep resentment among the youth, which erupted in July.
Referring to a book on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Rizvi said he once believed it was written by Mujib himself but later learned that a police officer and his associates were tasked with producing it in exchange for crores of taka, flats, and plots.
BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Emran Saleh Prince, Publicity Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Volunteer Affairs Secretary Mir Sharafat Ali Sapu, and Gono Odhikar Parishad leader Nurul Haque Nur also spoke at the event.
