Appeal to raise funds for "Arek Kansat", a documentary

Kansat has now become a distant memory. Yet, the historical significance of the movement in Kansat, which was the focus of the whole country for two weeks in April 2006, in the present Bangladesh scenario, is hard to overstate. Kansat, in short, presents the real state of politics in Bangladesh and shows when the "little people" stand up for their rights, how disdainfully the ruling elites treat them. Now that this story has shifted from the headline with a presumably happy ending for most, this story has to be told to a wider audience because what happened in that little village has a much larger significance to the future Bangladesh.

In Kansat, a village under Shibganj Upazilla in Chapainawabganj district, the villagers for many years, endured hardship due to lack of power supply; their lives were hindered, their crops destroyed. Lack of power supply compounded by limitless corruption of the government officials, ensured that they did not get minimum power supply for irrigation at the height of Boro season. When exploitation reached its limit, the patience of the peace loving agrarian community of Kansat was tried one time too many. They united under the banner of 'The Action Committee for Rural Power Development' (PBUSP). The peaceful and apolitical movement of common people for their rights met with an oppressive mindset of the government and trigger-happy law enforcement agency — ultimately leading to the killing of 17 people which included a few minors.

During the course of events, the people of Kansat were stripped off their right to protest, they were beaten brutally by the police inside their houses regardless of their age and sex, their homes were ransacked and looted, they were forced flee their habitat, they were arrested indiscriminately, their leaders were tortured while in police custody, and above all, they were denied a trial for the death of 17 people. Although, the government gave in to their demand after massive public outcry, till date, no one is held responsible for the killings and no judicial inquiry has been formed.

The story of Kansat needs to be told again and again so that it is not repeated — ever. That's why, we, at Drishtipat, working with Counter Foto – , a Dhaka based organization of cultural activistsa , have decided to make a documentary on the story of Kansat. The objectives of making the documentary are:

  1. To document the chronology of events starting from the start of the movement and ending with the government accepting the demands of the people of Kansat.
  2. To bring out clearly the extent to which human rights have been violated in Kansat and the government's blind eye to it and even an effort to cover up.
  3. To investigate who were the people responsible for this indiscriminate killing and demand justice
  4. To investigate the fairness of government policies regarding rural electricity distribution and pricing and also to bring into focus the nation-wide corruption regarding rural electrification
  5. To produce a visual documentation of the Kansat-bashis' fight against injustice as a source of inspiration for the nation and
  6. To expose the apathy of the political parties to tackle real issues of real people.

To make this documentary a reality we need your help. We need to raise $3000 as soon as possible to cover the cost of production of the documentary. The dedicated team in Dhaka is ready and they have already done the ground work and have started interviewing. By providing the funding, this is your chance to be part of telling the history as it should be told – without political colors. If you were outraged by the events in Kansat like millions of others were, you can now make a difference to help tell this story so that the ruling elite in Bangladesh, regardless of which party they are from, think twice before doing what they did to the innocent people of Kansat.

Will you take a stand with the people of Kansat and help us tell their inspiring story of courage, conviction and sacrifice during an era of unprecedented police brutality and elite corruption? Will you help us document some of the nation's proudest and darkest hours for generations to come?