Fascist AL govt tortured students, people by tagging them as Jamaat-Shibir: Asif Nazrul

The Awami League (AL) government tortured and oppressed students and people across the country by branding them as members of Chhatra Shibir and Jamaat, Adviser Asif Nazrul said today (14 December).

"During the last 15 years' regime of the Awami League, led by fascist Sheikh Hasina, no one could speak in favour of Jamaat-Shibir or against the torture," he said while speaking at a discussion at the auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum in Shahbagh.

The 'Bongio Shahitto Sobhaa', a cultural platform, organised the discussion on Asif Nazrul's novel titled 'Ami Abu Bokor' centering the July-August mass uprising.

Asif Nazrul said he became frustrated facing difficulties in publishing his writings in newspapers against the Awami League government in the recent past.

In a democratic country like Bangladesh, he said he faced difficulties because of expressing different opinions.

"Many dear and near ones left me,  maintained distance with me when I asked in which law people can be beaten on the suspicion of being a Shibir member," he said, criticising the fascist government's practice of suppressing people's freedom of speech.

"I knew three topics cannot be discussed. First one is the rule [of the country] and the second one is Hasina-India. I am not mentioning the third one now," he said.

Mentioning that he had been staying on the university campus for 35 years, Asif said students were tagged as Jamaat-Shibir intentionally, and no teacher ever defended them.

"I had to discuss all matters with caution in talk-shows…I had to face many cases, financial crisis and even social boycotting just for not speaking in favour of the government," Asif said.

"Sheikh Hasina ruined the normal relations among the people of the country," he added.

"When one of my close friends in the university became a high government official in the country, he did not invite me to his daughter's wedding ceremony."

"However, he invited one of our classmates as that person was a Chhatra League leader with whom he [classmate] had no close friendship," he added.   

Paying a tribute to the martyrs and injured of the July-August Mass Uprising, he said they brought back a new boundless freedom for the country.

He expressed hope to build a 'much better' Bangladesh in the days to come, saying,  "If we fail to build a Bangladesh much better than the regime of Awami League, the sacrifices and contributions of the mass uprising will go in vain."