Students call for resistance amid protests over renaming ‘Mongol Shobhajatra’

Several left-wing student organisations have expressed their "outrage" after the name of one of the major events marking the Bengali New Year, the Mongol Shobhajatra, was changed to “Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra”.

The leaders of these organisations described the change as a “grave warning” for the country’s tradition of free cultural practice, alleging that the interim government had "surrendered" to communal forces.

In the media statements issued on Friday, they criticised what they called the government's "blatant interference" in the independent arrangement of this event by the students and teachers of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka, calling for a retraction of the decision.

Three days before Pohela Boishakh, Azharul Islam, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, announced that the term “Mongol” has been dropped from the procession’s name, renaming it to Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, he also announced the participation of 28 indigenous groups in the event, saying: “This year’s procession will be joyful, it will include everyone.”

Following the announcement, social media was flooded with discussions.

In a strongly worded statement condemning the move, the Socialist Students' Front said: “By bowing down to the uproar of communal and fundamentalist groups and changing the name of the Mongal Shobhajatra, the government has sent a grave warning for the country’s tradition of free cultural practice.”

They recalled that the Mongol Shobhajatra began as a method of rebellion against the autocratic regime of Ershad, and over time it had drawn mass participation from people from all walks of life.

Describing it as a “unique reflection of secular Bangladesh” where people of all religions, ethnicities, and communities participated spontaneously, the statement added: “We have repeatedly witnessed efforts by different fundamentalist forces to undermine the event through attempts at controlling it. Even during previous authoritarian regimes, attempts were made to strip the procession of its rebellious image.”

The Socialist Students' Front also recalled that under the previous government, leaders and activists of progressive movements, including the Socialist Students' Front, were "attacked" by Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League, for carrying festoons in the Mongol Shobhajatra protesting against issues such as the rising cost of living and the Digital Security Act.

The statement further said that this year, following the July Uprising, there was hope that the Pohela Boishakh celebrations would be more lively than ever before.

The statement, however, said: "From the beginning, we have witnessed blatant government interference in the independent events of the Faculty of Fine Arts students and teachers, something that has never happened before. The latest decision to change the name is part of that interference and reflects the interim government’s populist politics."

Bangladesh Students’ Union said they "reject" the renamed Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra and will continue to refer to it as Mongol Shobhajatra everywhere.

They described the renaming as the interim government’s "helpless surrender to a fascist communal mob”.

The organisation said, "Historically, the massive endeavour of organising the Mongol Shobhajatra has always been a collective effort of students and teachers. However, from the beginning of this year’s arrangements, there has been a tendency among the teachers of the Faculty of Fine Arts to exclude the students.”

"They did not allow even the slightest opportunity for students to participate in the decision-making process. They made several controversial decisions on the creation of motifs by ignoring students’ opinions and were later forced to change them in the face of public outrage."

Bangladesh Students’ Union said that from the start of the Shobhajatra’s preparations, they witnessed "blatant interference" from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and intelligence agencies, describing the situation as "carrying the previous regime’s sinister activities forward".

They also called for resisting the "anti-public plan to establish administrative and state control" over the procession.

The statement referred to past attempts by the ruling class to undermine the spontaneity of this festival, which welcomes the participation of people from all religions, ethnicities, and castes through alliances with communal forces.

The organisation said, "Even this year, after the movement, we have seen the government blatantly interfering in the independent initiative of the Faculty of Fine Arts teachers and students. As a result, the students responsible for organising the Mongol Shobhajatra withdrew from the event."

"Through the latest name change, we are witnessing a direct reflection of the interim government’s interference. We strongly condemn this incident."

Bangladesh Students’ Union called upon the organising committee to "immediately withdraw" the decision to rename the Mongol Shobhajatra, urging the government to stop interfering in order to preserve its uniqueness.