Entertainment Report :
Visual artistes of the country have staged a protest rally supporting the nine-point of the quota reform protesters at the capital’s Farmgate intersection on Thursday.
A diverse group of the professionals from the fields of film, television, photography, theatre and media gathered for the protest rally.
The demonstration took place from 11:15am yesterday at the Farmgate intersection in Dhaka.
During the rally, attendees were seen delivering their speeches despite the downpour, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to the cause. Their statements focused on demanding justice for the students killed in the quota reform protests, an end to mass arrests, and the cessation of legal actions against the protesters.
Although the rally was scheduled to take place in front of the Parliament building, the protesting artistes had to change the location to Ananda Cinema Hall premises as there was another programme going on at Manik Mia Avenue. During the rally, the artistes were seen chanting slogans, including “We want a fair Bangladesh, which has human dignity and is free from fear” and “Bring justice to the killings, stop murder-violence-harassment-mass arrests.”
When asked about the purpose of their protest, the artistes and directors said, “We’ve gathered here to demand justice for the killings, put an end to arrests and shooting, and demand the release of the detained students. The government has to take steps immediately to stop harassment of the students and end the ongoing violence.”
The ‘Association of Visual Media Artistes’ made it clear that their protest was not just a moment of solidarity but a call to action, and they demanded justice for the murders associated with the movement, an end to the violence perpetrated by state forces, the cessation of mass arrests and harassment and the immediate release of detained students. Actress Azmeri Haque Badhon in her speech said, “It could have been my daughter at the protest, she could have lost her life. Any state that kills its own people to assert power, cannot be a democracy. The government has to take responsibility for this.”
Among the notable figures present were Shahidul Alam, Mosharraf Karim, Siam Ahmed, Akram Khan, Rafiath Rashid Mithila, Sabila Nur, Amitabh Reza, Eresh Zaker, Nazia Haque Orsha, Syed Ahmed Shawki, Wahid Tarek, Ritu Sattar and several others who braved the rain to make their voices heard.