Reactions to the removal of Lady Justice statue
'They have been making this demand for some time, and the prime minister has also supported this'
Dr Ajoy Roy, retired DU professor
Removal of the sculpture in front of the Supreme Court Premises is an embarrassing incident. The sculpture is a symbol of justice. A weighing scale in one hand means law will protect those who respect justice and law, and on the sword on the other hand means culprits will be punished. Many countries have this sculpture of justice.
I really don’t understand how it could happen in the period of a government that says it is on the side of Liberation War and democracy.
They do not understand the difference between an idol and a sculpture. Then they should break all sculptures. They are now emboldened enough to demand that the government take down the Shaheed Minar, because we pay tribute to martyrs of the Language Movement with flowers.
Dr Shahdeen Malik, SC lawyer
Removal of the statue is certainly a victory for medieval interpretations of the religion. Also, the tacit support of the government clearly indicates a shift in Awami League’s policy to claim a portion of the so-called “Islamic Vote” at any cost.
This is a sad day for our democratic values and the spirit of Liberation. This does not augur well for the liberal and progressive development of the country.
Khushi Kabir, activist
They have been making this demand for some time, and the prime minister has also supported this. I had been saying that if we let them remove this one they will demand the removal of others, and that is exactly what has happened. We did not want a Saudi Arabia, we wanted a free Bangladesh.
It is not clear to us why this decision was taken. If Supreme Court made this decision, why did the work start at midnight? Our constitution says we are secular. Then how does this happen?
I think the sculpture should be immediately placed where it is, and the government should make a statement saying these demands will never again be entertained.
Because these sculptures are made with taxpayer money, the government should also be more accountable to the public about their removal or placement.
Abdul Matin Khasru, SC lawyer
Eighty to ninety percent of the lawyers were against this. We did not know that this statue would be here. I thank the honourable Chief Justice, he has decided to remove it by honoring our sentiments. The Greek Themis statue is not in our culture. The statue is beside the Eidgah where people pray and it’s not acceptable. We support the decision to remove it before Ramadan.
It is not something related to Hefazat-e-Islam. The prime minister also said that she does not like it. Yesterday, some of our senior lawyers were talking with the Chief Justice. We talked about removing it. The Chief Justice has listened to us. We are grateful.
AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik, former SC justice
It was placed by the sole decision of the Chief Justice and removed in the same way. In a sense, Chief Justice played an autocratic role. According to tradition, the Chief Justice consults with other judges before making such a decision, which is called a full court meeting. He did not have any discussion before installing it. The judges were surprised when the statue was installed. There was a full court meeting yesterday but he did not say that he would remove it in the dark at night.
There is much difference between the demand of Hefazat and the prime minister’s statement. She said it is a pertinent, ugly, incomprehensible sculpture. Sword cannot be a symbol of justice in the present age. It was in the medieval era when the kings did injustice in the name of trial and imposed the decision on common people. If he had talked with everyone before installing it then this problem would not have been there.
Obaidul Quader, Awami League general secretary
The removal of the statue was not within the government’s jurisdiction. The decision of removal was taken by the Supreme Court.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP secretary general
The Supreme Court installed the lady justice sculpture in the court premises, and then removed the sculpture from its place. This is their own matter, We will not comment on this.
We will say one thing, we would like the government to respect the people’s views in the same way on every issue.
Mufty Fayzullah, Islami Oikya Jote secretary general
This is victory for the nation. At last the government has realised what the majority Muslim population of the country wants. From our party and from Hefazat-e-Islam, we give thank Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for respecting the nation’s demands.
Junayed Babunagari, Hefazat-e-Islam secretary general
The removal of the idol is a victory for Islam and the Muslims of Bangladesh. All credit for the removal of the idol goes to those who protested, demonstrated, marched and organised programmes demanding to remove the Greek idol form the Supreme Court premises in the last four months.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/05/27/reactions-to-the-removal-of-lady-justice-statue/
Watch: Afsan Chowdhury explains the politics of Lady Justice
Removal of statue of justice from SC premises begins
Staff Correspondent | Published: 00:49, May 26,2017 | Updated: 02:05, May 26,2017
The removal of the statue of justice from the Supreme Court premises begins late in the night on Thursday. ––Sanaul Haque
The removal of the statue of justice from the Supreme Court premises began at about midnight past Thursday.
None were allowed to enter the Supreme Court premises.
Police personnel found on duty at the gates avoided journalists who tried to approach them.
Sculptor Mrinal Haque was present there. He told reporters waiting outside the Supreme Court gate from inside the premises that he was told on the day about the removal of the sculptor.
He, however, declined to say who asked him to remove the sculpture.
Replying to a query, he said that he did not know whether or where the sculpture would be installed.
He, however, said that he thought that it would be kept somewhere on the premises of the annex building of the Supreme Court for now.
Earlier on April 25, law minister Anisul Huq said that the chief justice was the sole authority to decide if the statue of justice installed on the Supreme Court premises should be removed as the government was not informed before the installation.
He said that the installation of the sculpture on the Supreme Court premises was now a matter of concern as the necessity of such a statue on the sacred place had been questioned.
Anisul urged all to consider the issue so that the sanctity of the Supreme Court was not damaged anyhow and any kind of anarchy was not created centring the statue.
He made the remarks a day after the prime minister Sheikh Hasina during a meeting of the ruling Awami League’s local government election nomination board at Ganabhaban reportedly came down heavily on those who criticised her stance on the removal the sculpture.
The prime minister defended her stance saying that it was half Greek and half Bengali, and in addition to that, it would be in full view of Muslims during prayers at the National Eidgah on the Supreme Court premises.
Sculptor Mrinal Haque said that the Supreme Court authorities provided the theme of the sculpture which was set up in front of its main building on December 18, 2016.
Mrinal Haque said that it got nothing of Greek.
He described the sculpture as ‘100 per cent Bengali woman’ wearing traditional Bengali women attire ‘sari, blouse and petticoat’.
The Supreme Court authorities has a plan to officially inaugurate the sculpture giving it a name but the inauguration ceremony was not yet held as qoumi madrassah-based Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam immediately lodged protests, demanding removal of the statue terming it a Greek goddess, said an official of the Supreme Court registrar general’s office.
During an informal discussion in the cabinet meeting on April 17,
Sheikh Hasina informed her cabinet colleagues that she had already told the chief justice that the statue of Greek goddess Themis should be relocated.
She also criticised the concept of the sculpture, saying, ‘Wearing sari does not match with Greek goddess,’ according to a minister.
- See more at:
http://www.newagebd.net/article/163...-from-sc-premises-begins#sthash.AcLpDUHU.dpuf
Hefazat holds prayers for prime minister
- Manik Miazee
- Published at 02:14 AM May 27, 2017
- Last updated at 02:16 AM May 27, 2017
Two leading figures from Hefazat’s Dhaka Committee extended the demand on Friday to include the eventual removal of all idols from public places in Bangladesh
Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam on Friday expressed its joy at the removal of the Lady Justice statue from the Supreme Court premises in Dhaka before demanding the dismantling of all “idols” from Bangladesh.
The blind-folded, sari-clad stone figure of a woman was considered symbolic of justice, holding a sword in one hand and a scale in the other. But Hefazat had targeted the monument since it was erected in December, saying it did not “reflect the Islamic culture of the Muslim people of Bangladesh”.
Two leading figures from Hefazat’s Dhaka Committee extended the demand on Friday to include the eventual removal of all idols from public places in Bangladesh.
“We will not tolerate any idols on roadsides in the country,” said Dhaka Committee chief Nur Hossain Kashemi, who also thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for fulfilling her pledge to remove the statue.
He made the statement in front of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after the Jumma prayers.
Prior to that, supporters of the Islamist group staged what they called a “thanksgiving procession” and a prayer session seeking a long life for the prime minister.
At the programme, Hefazat’s Dhaka City Vice-Chairman Mojibur Rahman Hamidi also vowed to ensure that no idols remain in the country in the future.
“If anyone tries to build them, the Islamic people will give them a proper reply,” he said.
Asked for clarification of both comments by the Dhaka Tribune, a Hefazat representative could not specify which statues would be counted as idols.
Meanwhile in Chittagong, Hefazat Secretary General Junayed Babunagari said they would not allow the statue to be set up again anywhere in the country, our Chittagong correspondent reports.
“We have come to know that the dislodged idol is going to be reinstalled before the annex building of the court. We want to make it clear that the idol is tantamount to garbage which must be overthrown for good. People will not allow any initiative to install the idol again. We urge the authorities concerned not to take that step,” he said in a press statement.
Earlier in February, during a protest, the group’s Narayanganj district unit President Mawlana Abdul Awwal said: “You can have however many idols at temples in Bangladesh, but we will not tolerate the presence of an idol in front of the highest court in the country.”
Islami Andolan Bangladesh chief Rezaul Karim told the Dhaka Tribune in February: “If the sculpture is not removed, the public will create a river of blood in protest.”
Islami Andolon Bangladesh had on Friday threatened to blockade the Supreme Court if the sculpture was not removed by the end of Ramadan.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2017/05/27/hefazat-holds-prayers-prime-minister/
Islamist leaders were working to unite various Islamist parties and organisations to make the movement a success, the Dhaka Tribune found.
