New Delhi:
Fundamentalists are dominant in Bangladesh since the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s government. After the continuous attacks on Hindus, now the freedom fighters of Bangladesh are also being targeted. Bangladeshi freedom fighter Abdul Hai Kanu has been allegedly humiliated by putting a garland of shoes around his neck in Comilla. The video of this incident has gone viral on social media and after this Kanu has gone into hiding. This incident has also exposed those government claims that everything is fine in Bangladesh. At the same time, such incidents are raising the question, where is Bangladesh headed?
A video has surfaced from Bangladesh, in which 10 to 12 people are seen standing around freedom fighter Abdul Hai Kanu, garlanding him with shoes and threatening to throw him out of the area.
The police have assured action against the accused regarding this incident. However, no arrest has been made in this case yet.
Kanu is a resident of Ludiyara village of Chouddagram upazila. He has not been at his home since this incident. It is being told that he has taken this step due to security reasons. However, information is also coming to light that he has gone to live at his daughter’s house.
Government condemnation, but…
After the video of Kanu being forced to wear a garland of shoes went viral, the interim government of Bangladesh has strongly condemned the incident. Chief Advisor of the Press Wing said in a statement that we strongly condemn the defamation of freedom fighter Abdul Hai Kanu in Chouddagram. The statement also said that the police and local administration have been asked to investigate the incident and punish the culprits.
Noting that local police have said Hai is accused in nine cases, including murder, the press wing statement said, “We ask everyone to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.”
According to the in-charge of Chouddagram police station, Kanu’s name is in some cases including murder. At the same time, Kanu himself has publicly said that he was implicated in nine cases and went to jail 14 times.
What is in the video?
In the one minute and 46 second video, a man can be heard threatening Bangladeshi freedom fighter Abdul Hai Kanu. He asks Kanu to leave the house and the other man threatens to leave Comilla completely. During this time, Kanu, who looks very upset, folds his hands and apologizes to them. The accused also accused him of causing harm to the community. After this two people take them away.
According to local people, Hui had gone to the local market on Sunday morning and some people stopped him. These people took him to Kuliara High School, where he was tortured. The accused fled after the incident.
The police have identified several suspects in the investigation. These also include persons who are believed to be residents of Ghazipur and Dhaka.
What did Kanu say?
Abdul Hai Kanu looked very distressed about this incident. Speaking to reporters, he said, “What happened to me is barbaric. If the criminals are not arrested within 24 hours, I will give up my life. My family is being harassed continuously since 2016, when my son Biplab Former MP Mujibul Haq had contested the election for the post of Batisha Union president and nine cases were registered against us, he was even sent to jail.
He also said that during his stay in jail, he had shared the cell with Jamaat-e-Islami leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher. “On Sunday, in Taher East constituency, they treated me worse than the Pakistanis. They even held a knife to my throat,” he said.
Regarding the accused, Kanu said, “One is a notorious criminal who returned to the area after August 5 and resumed his activities. The other lives in Ghazipur.”
