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Cultural activists on Friday demanded the resignation of home affairs adviser retired Lieutenant General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury for failing to control mob violence and taking no legal action against attacks on more than a hundred shrines in his tenure.

They also condemn his recent comments on the forthcoming Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindus in Bangladesh.

The protest rally organised by Samageet Sangskriti Prangan carried the slogan ‘The state should take responsibility of ensuring security of all citizens’ in front of the National Museum in the capital Dhaka.

Artist and environmentalist Arup Rahee, artist and singer Amal Akash, writer Ehsan Mahmud, writer and activist Firoz Ahmed, lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua, Narayanganj Sangskritik Jote general secretary Dina Tazrin, singer Bithi Ghosh, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation Dhaka University unit join secretary Mohammad Sajib Hossesn, among others, spoke at the event presided over by Samageet president Rebeka Neela.

Dina Tazrin said that the country experienced many incidents like mob violence, organised crimes against religious minorities and attacks on shrines after the mass uprising, but the interim government did not deal those with responsibility.

The mass uprising ousted the authoritarian Awami League regime on August 5, 2024. 

‘Recently the home affairs adviser gave statements on the forthcoming Durga Puja, which were too ugly and unacceptable. He cannot able to keep stable the law and order situation, but continues to deliver sarcastic statements,’ Dina said, adding that the state must ensure security of its citizen, including women, children and religious and national minorities.

While briefing journalists after a meeting on September 9 on security and law and order before Durga Puja, the home adviser said that no fairs would be allowed around puja mandaps this year as such events were often associated with gatherings of alcohol and marijuana addicts.

Ehsan Mahmud said that people of Bangladesh felt demoralised by the home adviser’s statements.

‘After the uprising, mob violence happened regularly, but some vested groups call them mob justice, which is totally unacceptable,’ Ehsan said.

Firoz Ahmed said that this interim government’s tenure would be termed ‘mob tenure’ in history.

‘We have seen that many mob violence initiators became leaders in communities, which proved that the violence was organised and the government supported mob violence. Even the chief adviser has not given any statement against the mob violence while his press secretary called them as pressure groups,’ Firoz Ahmed said, adding that as the home adviser could not take any initiative to reform the police and failed to control mob, he should resign.

Jyotirmoy Barua said that at many educational institutions across the country, a huge number of teachers were forced to resign by organised crime, but the interim government did not take any legal action against organised crime or mob violence.

‘The security forces and intelligence agencies of the country failed to prevent the organised crimes and unfortunately the home adviser could not improve the police administration,’ Jyotirmoy said.

Arup Rahee said that monolithic narrative was fascism while the Awami League established fascism in the name of Liberation War and now religious fascism was attacking shrines, religious minorities and women.

‘We should prevent religious fascist and cultural activities should run to establish justice in society,’ said Rahee.