Amar Fashi Chai

Amar Fashi Chai
AuthorMotiur Rahman Rentu
LanguageBengali
Published26 March 1999
PublisherShornolota O Bonolota
Publication placeBangladesh
Pages235

Amar Fashi Chai (Bengali: আমার ফাঁসি চাই, I want to be hanged[1][2]), is a book written by Motiur Rahman Rentu published in 1999.[3][4] The book, set in the political and social context of Bangladesh, was banned by the then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina.[5] The book describes various aspects of Hasina's character.[6]

Background

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From 1981 to 1997, Matiur Rahman,[5] who served as Sheikh Hasina's personal advisor for almost 12 years from 1981 to 1997, was declared undesirable by Hasina and her family after she complained of irregularities to the Rentu party leader and Hasina's family members. After the unwanted announcement, Rentu decided to write the book on the negative aspects of Hasina.[7]

Contents

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The book claims that Assassination of Ziaur Rahman was planned by the Awami League.[8] The party is said to have spent Tk 1.37 crore to make Mohammad Hanif the mayor of Dhaka City Corporation. The book claims that Nageshwari river ferryman Sareng was paid Rs 50,000 to kill Khaleda Zia. The book claims that Sheikh Hasina would have been happy to hear the news of the corpses.[9]

Reception and Response

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Part of the book was regularly published in The Daily Dinkal but was later discontinued. Later, on June 26, 2000, the readers requested the newspaper authority to continue the publication of the book by telephone.[10] On June 29, 2000, Hasina's government banned the book on the grounds that it might incite public hatred against the government. According to columnist Abdul Hannan, the book's claim about Ziaur Rahman's assassination was controversial because it was not taken from someone else but directly by the author.[8] after reading the book Khaleda Zia about Sheikh Hasina's desire to kill him, she thought that Hasina might be behind multiple assassination attempts to kill Khaleda.[11] On the other hand, Sheikh Hasina felt the need to investigate whether Khaleda Zia had a conspiracy behind the publication of the book.[12] after publication, the government banned the book shortly after. The book was banned on the grounds that author Matiur Rahman Rentu had spread historical distortions and political debates through the book.[13]

Controversy

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On June 22, 2000, the author of the book was shot by assailants in a shop near his home. He alleged that he was assassinated for writing the book.[7]

In 2002 Shafique Ahmed Siddique filed a defamation case against Matiur Rahman Rentu over the book "Amar Fansi Chai". After a long five-year hearing, a court in Dhaka on April 18, 2007, awarded Rentu a compensation of Tk 1,00,31,998. But failing to get compensation, Siddique filed a case on August 10, 2007, to confiscate Rentu's property.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Rentu, Motiur Rahman (2002). I Want to be Hanged. Swarnalata & Banalata. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  2. ^ Khan, Q. M. Jalal (25 February 2021). India’s Hegemonic Design in Bangladesh (in Arabic). Writers Republic LLC. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-63728-158-1. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Finance News: Latest Financial News, Finance News today in Bangladesh". web.archive.org. 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  4. ^ a b "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 5 Num 1137". web.archive.org. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  5. ^ a b "Short View Of Certain Betrayals That Should Not Have Happened To BNP – OpEd – Eurasia Review". web.archive.org. 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  6. ^ আহমদ, মুসতাক (2024-08-06). "নেত্রীর মন, জীবনের মায়া". dhakapost.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  7. ^ a b "Rentu shot by assailants". হলিডে. 23 June 2000.
  8. ^ a b প্রামাণ্য ভাষ্য, মানবাধিকার প্রতিবেদন ২০০০: যুক্তরাষ্ট্র পররাষ্ট্র দফতর (27 January 2001). মানবাধিকার চর্চা সম্পর্কিত প্রতিবেদন ২০০০. Embassy of the United States, Dhaka. p. 24.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "আমার ফাঁসি চাই". The Daily Dinkal. 23 June 2000.
  10. ^ "'আমার ফাঁসি চাই' গ্রন্থ ধারাবাহিক প্রকাশ পুনরায় চালু করতে বিপুল অনুরোধ". The Daily Dinkal. 2000-06-28. p. 4.
  11. ^ "খালেদ জিয়া". Jaijaidin. 8 August 2000. p. 3.
  12. ^ "শেখ হাসিনা". Jaijaidin. 8 August 2000. p. 3.
  13. ^ "বাংলাদেশে নিষিদ্ধ বা বাজেয়াপ্ত হয়েছিল যেসব আলোচিত বই". BBC News বাংলা (in Bengali). 2024-02-01. Retrieved 2024-08-31.