I walked in on Jamshed Anwer Tapan methodically picking up charred books from the floor and placing them into a steel almirah. The office he was standing in was a blackened-out hull, strewn with burnt musical instruments, books, theatre costumes and furniture.
Tapan is the general secretary of Udichi, Bangladesh’s largest cultural organisation. Founded in 1968 by Satyen Sen – as it so happens, Indian economist Amartya Sen’s uncle – Udichi teaches its students singing, dance, drama and the fine arts.
On December 19, Udichi’s head office in Dhaka was attacked by a right-wing mob and burnt down. This was part of a wave of attacks on liberal institutions after the assasination of right-wing rabble rouser Osman Hadi.
“They know Bangladesh is secular in its spirit, so they try to kill people who speak for that spirit,” Jamshed Tapan said. “Udichi represents the real Bangladesh. So that’s why we’re hated by the right, that’s why we are attacked.”
On August 5, 2024, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India after a stirring, student-led protest against her authoritarian rule. She stood accused of large-scale corruption, torturing her opponents and rigging elections.
For Bangladeshi liberals, though, relief was short-lived. One of the main beneficiaries of the revolution turned out to be right-wing...
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