Arafat terms Udichi's programme ignoring ban 'unfortunate'
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat has described Udichi's programme defying government directives and its statement as "unexpected and unfortunate".
Like the last few years, the home ministry on Sunday imposed a ban on all types of open-air Pahela Baishakh programmes after 6pm on security concerns.
Ignoring the directives, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi, a cultural organisation, started programmes after 6pm, saying such a ban would only encourage extremism in the country.
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"The government gets hurt and very shocked at this behaviour of Udichi," he told journalists at his Secretariat office on Monday.
Defending the restrictions, Arafat mentioned that many people were killed and many others became paralysed after bombings at Ramna Batamul in the capital and Udichi's programme in Jashore on Pahela Baishakh.
He also cited terrorist attacks at Holey Artisan, Eid congregations in Sholakia, Kishoreganj and Sylhet.
"Who would take responsibility if any accident occurred where Udichi held its programme defying the government's restrictions?" Arafat said.
The state minister thinks that whoever will hold programmes violating government directives has to take that responsibility.
"As the government remains always vigilant to ensure the safety of people's lives and property in every event, no terrorist attack or terrorist incident has occurred in Bangladesh in the recent past," he said.
In 1993, the then Khaleda Zia's government obstructed the celebration programme of Bangla year 1400, he noted.
The purpose of the obstruction was not security concerns but to discourage this universal and non-communal festival of the Bangalee nation, he said.
Arafat also mentioned that it was Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government that introduced an allowance for the Bangla New Year to facilitate Pahela Baishakh celebrations.
During her tenure, Bangladesh's "Mangal Shobhajatra" was declared an intangible cultural heritage by Unesco in 2016, he added.
