It is natural to express grief at the death of a political figure. But on what grounds is it acceptable to use that grief as an excuse to prevent an entire country from celebrating? After Khaleda Zia’s death, three days of state mourning were declared, and at the same time all forms of “Thirty First” celebrations were banned. Fireworks, crackers, DJ parties, and processions were prohibited by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. The question is: why should the joy and festivities of an entire nation be forcibly stopped because of the death of one individual?
The Yunus-led interim government, which came to power illegally by overthrowing an elected government through the bloody riots of July, is now trying to extend its control into people’s private lives as well. This decision is not merely an administrative order; it represents a new form of cultural aggression. People who work hard throughout the year, for whom this one night might be the only chance to enjoy time with their families, are now being deprived of that opportunity.
Jamaat-e-Islami and their ideological allies have always taken a hostile position toward Bangladesh’s cultural life. Whether it is Pahela Baishakh or Thirty First, they are uncomfortable with any form of cultural celebration. They want Bangladesh to become a rigid religious state like Pakistan, where all joy and festivity are filtered through their ideology. To these brokers of Wahhabi thought, music, dance, and festivals are all obscene and forbidden.
The military forces whose support made this illegal seizure of power possible are now sitting silently. The purpose of this entire project, funded by foreign money, is clear: to destroy Bangladesh’s independent identity and impose a particular ideology on its people. The planned violence we saw in the July riots involved the active role of Islamist militant groups. Now they have grown bolder, because their ideological allies are in power.
Mourning is a personal matter. Those who respected Khaleda Zia have every right to grieve. But no one has the right to bring an entire country to a halt in the name of that mourning. Life and death are in the hands of the Creator. No one controls them. But the tendency to use one person’s death as a pretext to interfere in the lives of others is deeply alarming.
Has the BNP already begun abusing power? Have they forgotten that citizens have fundamental rights in a democratic country? State mourning may be declared for the death of a political leader, but that does not mean ordinary people’s daily lives should be suspended. This is, in fact, a display of power — a way of showing that they can ban anything if they choose to.
Yunus, now cast in the role of a “benevolent patron,” holds no elected mandate, but represents an imposed system. His government, together with organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami, is leading Bangladesh down a highly dangerous path. Every decision makes it clearer that they do not want a liberal, tolerant, culturally rich Bangladesh. They want a controlled, suffocating society, where people live in fear and compulsion.
Thirty First is not just a date. It is a symbol of welcoming a new year. Around the world, people celebrate this night and dream of a better year ahead. Bangladesh had also developed this tradition. Now even that is being banned to advance a political agenda. This ban is a test — to see how much people will tolerate, how much they will accept. Today it is Thirty First. Tomorrow it will be Pahela Baishakh, and then something else.
A country whose people won independence with blood, and gave their lives for their language, is now a place where people cannot even celebrate freely. This is not the image of a free country. It is the image of an occupied one — where foreign interests and religious extremism together are forging a new chain, and ordinary people’s lives are being bound by it.
