Background of the project
In Kansat, a remote village in Bangladesh, the villagers for many years, endured trmendous 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 activists, have decided to make a documentary on the story of Kansat.
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.
This website will be updated through out the fundraising and filmmaking effortto keep you all involved in the process. This is grassroot activism taken to a global level. Come and show your solidarity with the people of Kansat.
Drishtipat:
Drishtipat is a non-profit, non-political progressive expatriate Bangladeshi organization committed to safeguarding every individual's basic democratic rights, including freedom of expression, and is opposed to any and all kinds of human rights abuses in Bangladesh. We are based in the United States, and have members in every part of the globe via memberships and local chapters.
To know more about Drishtipat, read the recent article in Daily Star here or visit their website at http://www.drishtipat.org
Counter Foto – A center for Communication:
Counter Foto is an organization of cultural activists. It is based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Contact info at drishtipat dot org for further information on this.
