Cultural organisations in Bangladesh are under attack from Islamic radicals. The interim government formed after the toppling of Sheikh Hasina's regime has failed to rein in mobs that continue to target cultural institutions and minorities.
The office of Bangladesh's largest cultural organisation, Udichi Shilpi Gosthi in Dhaka, came under attack on Friday. Udichi Shilpi Gosthi was founded in 1968 by revolutionary novelists Satyen Sen and Ranesh Das Gupta, among others. It played a key role in promoting Bengali identity as part of a cultural campaign during the liberation war that led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.
In 2013, Udichi Shilpi Goshthi was awarded the Ekushey Padak, one of the most prestigious awards in Bangladesh. Members of the cultural outfit took out a protest rally in Dhaka after the attack on its office. The protesters said the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus and law enforcement agencies had failed to protect the institution despite threats.
Protests in Bangladesh in the aftermath of the death of anti-India radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi have spiralled out of control. The offices of prominent newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, were attacked. The building that housed Chhayanaut, a cultural organisation, was also attacked and ransacked.
"Despite being fully aware of the situation, the interim government and the administration took no measures to protect Udichi. As a result, miscreants were able to set fire to our office without any resistance on Friday evening," Udichi general secretary Amit Ranjan Dey told The Dhaka Tribune.
These cultural institutions that promote Bengali culture and art have been viewed with suspicion by political forces like the Jamaat-E-Islami Bangladesh, which has historically maintained close links with Pakistan and even supported Islamabad during the liberation war.
In 1961, Islamabad banned the celebrations of the birth centenary of Rabindranath Tagore in the east Pakistan region that later became Bangladesh. Chhayanaut was founded in defiance of this ban. It has since been a symbol of Bengali identity.
Outfits like Udichi and Chhayanaut have played a key role in promoting arts and culture in a version of Bangladesh that hardline Islamic bodies like the Jamaat-E-Islami Bangladesh oppose.
In the aftermath of Sheikh Hasina's ouster and the formation of the interim government under Yunus, Islamabad and Dhaka have rapidly stepped up bilateral engagement. Both countries have granted visa-free access to diplomats and official passport holders, including military personnel. Direct flights between the two countries have begun, and new economic links, such as a direct Karachi-Chittagong shipping route, are being set up. There are also reports that an ISI Special Cell is operating from within the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.
Many feel the overthrow of the Hasina regime, the overturn of the ban on the Jamaat and the rising incidents of mob violence have the blessings of Pakistan.
Over the last few months, the Yunus regime has been soft on the Jamaat and its affiliates, especially groups like Chhatra Shibir. The barbaric murder of Dipu Chandra Das, and attacks on newspapers and cultural institutions are being seen as a part of ISI's playbook to destabilise Bangladesh.
