Academics and cultural activists urged the authorities on Monday not to lease the historic Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka for the establishment of a food stall.
At an event titled 鈥楩ree Bahadur Shah Park: Songs and Words Against Encroachment,鈥� held at Bahadur Shah Park and organised by the Oitihasik Bahadur Shah Park Oitijjo Rokkha Sangram Parishad, Jagannath University Band Music Association, and the JnU Students Forum, they also called for the protection of the 200-year-old vicinity.
Addressing the event as chief guest, economist professor Anu Muhammad said, 鈥楾he park, known as Victoria Park, must never be a commercial venue. Efforts are needed to highlight its historical value.鈥�
Oitihasik Bahadur Shah Park Oitijjo Rokkha Sangram Parishad member secretary Akhtaruzzaman Khan said, 鈥楾he park serves as 鈥極xygen of Old Dhaka鈥� for students from 14 educational institutions and residents, providing a space for exercise, walking, and relaxation.鈥�
He further said that the Dhaka South City Corporation recently invited tenders to reinstall the food stall in the park, which goes against the people鈥檚 interests.
The Parishad鈥檚 Convenor, Mohammad Abdul Mannan, vowed to protect the park from commercial encroachment.
Writers, students, intellectuals, and distinguished citizens of Old Dhaka also spoke at the event, which concluded with live performances by bands such as The Comrades, Moner Manush, Offset, and Charcoal.
The DSCC has continued to lease a portion of the park for a food stall, ignoring protests from people of various backgrounds since 2022.
The park has a memorial dedicated to the soldiers hanged by the British during the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857.