Untold Facts

Candle Light Delight Offence!

A news item published verbatim in Bengali in a Dhaka daily on the 17th August (09) that in English translation can be accurately said that a renowned Barrister of Dhaka should be immediately arrested and prosecuted in the court of law by the present government of Awami League for his ‘offence’ for celebrating in his own home the 15th August 1975 fall of the then Government head of Bangladesh with candle light delight.

I understand that there are at least two notorious legal instruments in force in Bangladesh, the Cr. P.C. 54 and the 1974 Special Powers Act of 1974 that may be used by the police for arrest and detention for months of any imaginary accused even without any warrant of arrest.

Be they as may be used for arrest, detention and punishment for the ‘offence’ of making the indoor delight of personal freedom by the particular person for the fall of the top of the government on the morning of 15 August 1975 in Dhaka, how would the authorities now deal with the millions inside the country and outside who jubilantly celebrated the same incident on that very day?

On the very day I stayed in London and had many experience of jubilant celebrations by the expatriate Bangladeshis there. One such that I watched in the BBC TV, particularly, at the 13 hour news there that many jubilant and yet furious Bangladeshis torpedoed the Bangladesh High Commission office at the 28 Queens Gate and desecrated the portrait of the then head of the government, that is, the fallen leader of the 15th August. Those among I knew is now a practicing Barrister in the Bangladesh High Court. He happened to be a dedicated freedom fighter of 1971 as well then based in London who had donated his car in London for the movement. Would not the government prosecute him as well for his offence was certainly of higher degree of cognition than the candle delight indoor?

In retrospect, informed men and women would recall that the celebration of delight was so universal that none recited even the INNA LILLAH, the mandatory recitation for all Muslims. Thus it is only logical that should the particular Barrister be prosecuted for the ‘offence’, the millions who jubilantly celebrated the incident of the 15th August 1975 must all be prosecuted just only to overfill the prisons of Bangladesh. Is not it?

Author: M.T. Hussain