Police station building will not be allowed unless alternative play space is provided: Rizwana

Advocate Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers (BELA) Association and Supreme Court lawyer, has called for an alternative playground for children instead of the Tetultala ground in Kalabagan. She also said that otherwise the construction of police station building at Tetultala ground would not be allowed.

Syeda Ratna, the chief coordinator of the Kalabagan Field Protection Movement, and her college-going son were detained at the Kalabagan Police Station for 12 hours on Sunday (April 24) for being active in the field protection movement.

Later, Syeda Ratna was released from Kalabagan police station along with her son Isa Abdullah at around 12:10 pm. Advocate Syeda Rizwana Hasan told reporters at the time that if an alternative playground for children was not found, the construction of a police station building on the ground would not be allowed.

She said she hoped the police would move away from the construction of the police station building in the same manner as they had released Ratna Apa and her son out of respect for public opinion. There is only one playground for children in that area. If no alternative field is found, the construction of police station building will not be allowed there. The movement will continue for this.

Jamshed Anwar Tapan, general secretary of the central committee of the Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Gosthi, told  that Ratna Apa and her son had been detained unjustly all day. We, along with cultural activists and environmental activists, came to the local police station and stayed there all day. I have called a press conference in this regard on Monday (April 25) at 11 am at DRU Sagar-Runi Auditorium. Besides, I will hold a rally in all three fields in the afternoon demanding protection of Tentultala field in Kalabagan. Tomorrow’s program will be announced there.

He said, their movement is very fair. This movement cannot be stopped by intimidating or detaining anyone. Their movement will continue.

According to the locals of Kalabagan, one bigha of land in Tetultala field was owned by a Bihari. He did not return to the country after the 1971 war of independence. Local children and teenagers used to play in that place.

The government has allotted a police station in this vacant land registered as government khas land. Since then, there has been a demand to keep the place empty for sports.

Although there is a crisis of playgrounds in different areas of the capital, there are playgrounds of City Corporation in Kalabagan. That field is next to Kalabagan bus stand.

After taking Ratna into custody, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Senior Assistant Commissioner for the New Market zone Sharif Md Farukuzzaman said: “Dhaka’s deputy commissioner had handed over the rights for the land to police after clearing all the procedures. Syeda Ratna is accused of obstructing the government in its duties.”

Her daughter Sheyuti Shahgufta said around 12:15am on Monday that they were heading home from the police station.

Sheyuti said police released her mother and brother on condition that police will be free to take legal action if they resume protests. Sheyuti added they would decide later whether to resume protests.

Ratna has been mobilising public opinion against a recent attempt of constructing a police building on Tetul Tola ground, known as a playground in the neighbourhood.

Sheyuti said Ratna, flanked by her son Priyangshu, identified with a single name, resumed their protest at the playground in the morning after noticing that construction materials were being kept in front of the ground entrance.

“My mother (Ratna) had started livestreaming the situation on Facebook. She and my 17-year-old brother were detained from there.” Sheyuti said.

Human rights activist Khushi Kabir, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association’s chief executive Syed Rizwana Hasan, Alamgir Kabir and Ain o Salish Kendra’s Senior Coordinator Abu Ahmed Faizul Kabir had rushed to the Kalabagan Police Station upon receiving the news of Ratna’s detention.

They protested against the detention and urged police to free Ratna.

A few weeks ago, women in the surrounding neighbourhood joined the protest after police had fenced the playground with barbwires.

One of them, Shamim Ara said she was having a feeling that “she is about to lose her child”.

“This ground is for our children. There was an attempt to take the ground over in the 80s, but we’re able to thwart the attempt.”

“Maybe this time, we won’t be able to,” she said.