TBM Report
Renowned economist and member of the Democratic Rights Committee, Professor Anu Muhammad, on Friday launched a scathing critique against the government, accusing it of enabling religious fascist elements through systemic inaction and tactical silence. Addressing a massive protest rally in front of the National Museum in Shahbagh, Dhaka, he called for an immediate cessation of state patronage extended to regressive groups that actively suppress intellectual freedom, cultural expressions, and progressive thought.
The demonstration was jointly mobilized by six prominent cultural and cinematic coalitions, including the National Film Movement and the Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies, following the abrupt forced suspension of the screening of the movie ‘Bonalata Express’ in the Brahmanbaria district under arbitrary allegations of “vulgarity.”
“Following the exact trajectory of past authoritarian regimes, the current administration is harboring criminal elements, appeasing imperialist interests, and patronizing religious fascist groups solely to consolidate its grip on power,” Professor Anu Muhammad remarked. He contextualized the Brahmanbaria incident not as an isolated administrative dispute, but as part of a chronic trajectory of systemic cultural barbarism, citing recent coordinated assaults on Baul musical festivals, Sufi shrines, open-air theater productions, and poetry symposiums across the country. He heavily rebuked the local District Commissioner (DC) for capitulating to extremist demands without empirical justification, whilst simultaneously questioning the Culture Minister’s alarming plea of ignorance regarding the highway-blocking censorship.
