Protesters demand arrest of poet Tanan’s killers
Tanan was seriously injured in an attack by his rivals on 10 November in Aliara Syedbari village of Nasirnagar upazila under Brahmanbaria
Tanan Mancha and Online Literature Groups Unity have demanded immediate arrest of the killers of Syed Monabbir Ahmed Tanan – a young poet and the founder of the Srijon Sahitya Shangathon – at a brief human chain in front of the National Press Club on Friday despite a police ban.
Mosleh Uddin, convener of Tanan Mancha, said intellectual practices could never be suppressed by killing a pen soldier like Tanan with the help of influential people.
"In the War of Liberation in 1971, innumerable enlightened intellectuals of society were killed. In its continuation, thoughtful and creative people are still being ruthlessly killed in broad daylight here and there in the country," he added.
He also said poets and writers are the conscience of the nation. "To kill them is to kill the conscience of the nation."
Tanan was a highly humanist poet and organiser, Mosleh Uddin mentioned, demanding exemplary punishment of his murderers.
Many demands were made from the human chain, which include identifying the instigators and those who sheltered the killers through proper investigation and taking action against the culprits as well as providing compensation to the affected families.
They also demanded that poets and writers are allowed to work independently, judicial action is taken if necessary, and in case of unintentional and unnatural death of someone involved in the creative and intellectual practice, the accused are tried quickly through the special court.
Poet Tanan was seriously injured in an attack by his rivals at noon on 10 November in Aliara Syedbari village of Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria after he protested against the stopping of water flow of a canal. He died that night on his way to Dhaka for advanced treatment.
He was the son of Syed Shibbir Ahmed of Aliara Syedbari village under Haripur union. He was pursuing a master's degree in political science at Brahmanbaria Government College.