Different vested quarters are still plotting to portray Bangladesh to be in a ‘famine-like situation’ when the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government is relentlessly fighting the coronavirus crisis. They have hatched another deep –rooted conspiracy to stage another Basanti Bala drama, an influential intelligence agency told Bangladesh Post on Thursday.
The ill-motivated and staged act of much talked about Basanti Bala of Kurigram district jolted the world in 1974. The picture became the centre of attention after daily Ittefaq, then the most influential newspaper in the country , printed it on their front page. In the fabricated picture , she was wearing a fishing net, as her only sari had worn out.
The government and ruling party leaders and activists are working so that no one faces starvation due to any food crisis. But some powerful elements are tarnishing the image of Sheikh Hasina claiming that millions of distressed people cannot get their basic right to food.
Intelligence agencies have already found the involvement of some anti-government political parties, including major opposition political parties BNP and Jamaat in the plots. Some senior officers of law enforcement, on condition of anonymity told Bangladesh Post that some anti-government politicians and their followers in a well-coordinated conspiracy, are trying to create mass unrest misusing the ongoing global crisis due to the pandemic coronavirus.
Recently Sathi Akter, a younghouse wife sold her hair to a hawker in the city outskirts Savar to survive from her skin disease. She has two minor babies—the older Jonayed and younger Jubayer. Her husband Manik is a rickshaw puller. She did not sell her hair for any financial crisis, investigation reveals.
Sathi told Bangladesh Post that she actually had sold her hair around one and a half months ago due to a skin disease. There was no issue of coronavirus in the country when she sold her hair. But some pro-BNP- Jamaat Facebook users posted pictures of Sathi claiming that she had sold her hair due to ‘severe financial crisis’ caused by coronavirus.
The Facebook posts also claimed that after selling her hair, Sathi bought baby food for her babies. Within a few moments, the post became viral in different social networking sites including Facebook. Pro- BNP and Jamaat-Shibir men were masterminding it, intelligence said.
Local people, mainly ruling party leaders made donations to Sathi after knowing of the post. Local administration also distributed relief to her. At one stage, some leading media outlets carried fabricated reports falsely describing Sathi as selling her hair only to buy food for her two children.
After the media reports, government high ups instructed intelligence agencies, and law enforcing agencies to investigate the issue of Sathi’s hair selling.
After investigation, the truth was unveiled finally.
Sathi, hailing from Kishoreganj district, was living in a slum in the city’s Mirpur area earlier. Around two months ago, she shifted to Bank Colony area in the city’s suburb Savar. Sathi’s husband Manik said, “ As we are newcomers at Savar, we did not inform anyone about our financial crisis. I am a rickshaw puller. But due to coronavirus, I could not properly earn through rickshaw pulling. We were living hand to mouth.”
On visiting his rented residence at Zimer Goli under Bank Colony area of Savar, intelligence found around ten families living in ten small tin rooms. Most of the females of these ten families are domestic workers while the male members are day labours. Sathi said, “ One of her neighbors first asked me why I cut my hair. I told her that I cut my hair to cure my skin disease. But my neighbor later fully fabricated the matter to many local people.”
Some local people posted the fabricated post and later it became viral, police said. Describing the story Sathi said, “I was suffering a lot from skin disease. At one stage, I decided to sell hair.” Responding to a question, she said, “ I sold my hair at Tk 180. However, the hawker assured me Tk 400.”
About buying baby food with the money, she repeatedly denied and said, “ The money is still in my hands. My husband buys baby food with his income.” Meanwhile , being informed Savar Upazila Parishad Chairman Monjur Alam Rajib, , Savar UNO Parvejur Rahman Jumon, Savar Municipal Corporation Mayor Haji Abdul Goni, Awami League Dhaka District unit joint secretary Masud Chowdhury and Awami Jubo League central organizing secretary Faruk Hasan Tuhin, among other visited Sathi to make donations to her.
Besides, members of Rapid Action Battalion and Dhaka District Police also provided humanitarian assistance to Sathi. Masud Chowdhury said, “ Sathi and her family were victimized. Some vested quarters hatched a deep rooted conspiracy using Sathi.” These anti-government groups planned to stage another Basanti drama misusing the issue of Sathi’s hair selling, he added.
Faruk Hasan Tuhin said, “ As the issue was totally baseless, the conspirators must be punished.” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka district Administration Mahmudul Haque said, “ I also personally visited Sathi. She informed me that she sold her hair due to her skin disease.”
There is no relation between the coronavirus crisis and Sathi’s hair selling, he added. Md Maruf Hossain Sorder, superintendent of police (SP) of Dhaka district said, “ We are currently investigating to find the culprits who attempted to make Sathi’s hair selling a negative issue.”
After investigation, necessary action would be taken against the culprits, he warned. A recent phone conversation between two top leaders of two radical political parties—Bangladesh Jamaat e Islam and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, smacked of a deep-rooted conspiracy to destabilize the government in the name of attendance at the namaz-e-janaza of Maulana Jubaer Ahmed Ansari at Sarail in Brahmanbaria district recently.
According to the leaked phone conversation, Jamaat Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman was heard instigating Secretary General of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Maulana Mahfuzul Haque, for a Mothijeel Shapla Chattor-styled anarchy to topple the government. BNP-Jamaat are allegedly plotting to create mass unrest. They are masterminding the staged processions of relief seekers, transport workers and RMG workers.