42 eminent citizens condemn Taposh’s remarks

Staff Reporter  :
Country’s 42 eminent citizens, including rights activists, academics, lawyers, and religious and ethnic minority leaders have strongly condemned the recent comment of the Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.

In a statement issued from the office of the Association for Land Reform and Development on Saturday, they have also drawn the attention of the Apex court in this regard.
The DSCC Mayor recently in a public event made a remark threatening to throw civil society members into the river Buriganga in sacks and unseating a chief justice of Bangladesh.
“We condemn and protest the mayor’s objectionable and arrogant speech. We would also like to draw the attention of the highest court in this regard,’ the eminent citizens said.

The group also stated that they were aggrieved, shocked, and distressed to see Taposh using such indecent, disrespectful language while holding a high political position such as Dhaka city mayor and being a professional lawyer. The citizens expressed anger, sadness, and astonishment at Taposh’s remark.

“We have no words to denounce such objectionable arrogance. The remark about removing a serving Chief Justice shows his arrogance, and it is undoubtedly an insult and disrespect to the apex court,’ the statement read.

They said that through his remarks, Taposh had given a message that the political organisation was desperate to control the judiciary like other organisations.
The signatories to the statement included former adviser to the Caretaker Government and human rights activist Sultana Kamal, former Caretaker Government adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury, former Cabinet Secretary Ali Imam Majumder, distinguished Professor at Illinois State University Ali Riaz, former Jahangirnagar University economics professor Anu Muhammad, renowned Bangladeshi photographer Shahidul Alam, Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, senior lawyer Shahdeen Malik, Nijera Kori Coordinator Khushi Kabir, Shusasoner Janno Nagorik Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, ALRD Executive Director Shamsul Huda, Dhaka University law department Professor Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council General Secretary Rana Dasgupta and Bangladesh Adivasi Forum’s president Sanjeeb Drong.

At a discussion at the Shahid Shafiur Rahman auditorium of the Supreme Court Bar Association on May 21, marking the sixth founding anniversary of Bangabandhu Awami Ainjibi Parishad, Taposh said, “Those civil society representatives who want to teach us will be thrown into the black water of the river Buriganga in sacks.”
Following such remarks, Senior lawyer M Amirul Islam on Wednesday moved the Appellate Division seeking a suo motu ruling against Dhaka south city mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh for his recent remark on the removal of a serving chief justice from office.

Amir, a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, brought the matter to the attention of the Appellate Division and submitted copies of the news published in national dailies.
He called Taposh’s remark as ‘unfortunate’.

As Amir started reading out Taposh’s remarks in the jam-packed courtroom of the Appellate Division from Manab Zamin, the chief justice told him that the court was occupied with other matters.
The chief justice also told Amir that the Appellate Division would give a decision later after looking into the reports carefully.

Later, Amir told reporters at a briefing that Taposh’s remarks were ‘contemptuous’. He also said that the people of the country felt aggrieved at the mayor’s remarks.