Comment on 'The Divide over Shahbag: An Effort to Engage the ‘Enemy’by Biswajit Roy published in the latest issue of Frontier
The confusion about left and its position on religious communities aside, what
should be clear is that in spite of a clear pro-liberation sentiment
in Bengal, the mainstream political parties have passively, if not
actively, encouraged the islamists by allowing the anti-Shahbag
rallies uncontested. A clear statement from them asserting that
democratic, just, trials of war criminals must be pursued and that
Shahbag sans the demand for capital punishment, represents a
legitimate sentiment, would not have hurt any electoral prospects. In
this sense, Biman Bose's pro-Shahbag statement should be welcome.
What the general reticence towards speaking against the islamists has
done is that it has strengthened both them as well the Hindutwa
forces.
Anyone claiming to have grown up in
Bengal for a number of years, getting educated there, and claiming
to have not much information or knowledge about the Bangladesh liberation war
and the war crimes, is obviously lying. One does not have to accept
lies in taking up the cause for the minorities. Such an attitude does
more harm to the minorities than good.
