Shooting finished !

Hello DP-Kansat team:

 

Hope all of you are doing well. Probably some of you are wondering what is happening to “Arek Kansat.” Yes, I am here to give you some updates!!

 

Our Counter Foto’s six-person Kansat team is in Kansat now. Today, Counter Foto had a meeting with Golam Rabbani. Rabbani expressed interest in organizing the premiere show in Kansat. He thinks we can expect at least 50,000 people in the show. Rabbani seemed very keen on creating CDs of Arek Kansat and distribute those to the people at his own expense.

 

Our team will be back in 4-5 days. It depends on their work progress. So far, the responses they are receiving are quite good. I will let you know more updates if something significant happens. You can hear more when the team comes back.

 

Ritu

 

Some reflection on Kansat

From Omi:

Dear Faustina,
I was planning to answer your mail much earlier . But it seems that we
needed time , because of the issues you mentioned in your mail. We
from Counter Foto sat, discussed, had debates and came to a conclusion
which is mentioned below. We have had several visits to Kansat,
interviewed people, talk to many in the capital city. And to be honest
this process is going still strong. We are now ready to write the
script , then we will send it to all the involved organizations .After
everyone gives a feedback , we will finalize the script , and
hopefully start shooting from the first week of next month.

Our observations about Kansat:

The people of Kansat involved in the movement were clearly conscious
about the position of govt. through the behavior of the police and
the local authority as they had appeared as the govt. representative.
Government, specially the local negotiator Rajshahi City Mayor Mr.
Minu thought people would be scared of as police fire on them. They
were wrong. People burst out to the protest in stead of leaving the
battle field, and they didn’t hesitate to stand infront the bullets.

People of Kansat say that, Govt. stand against the people who elected
them in order to favor a company who are making business through
cheating people. They are very proud now to declare that they have no
interest to cast their vote for neither ‘Dhaner Shish’ nor “Nauka’. So
they are now really ready to confront the state repression.

In the view of the larger context of the Bangladeshi politics, people
are not in the centre in their consideration, people are only to cast
vote. So people have nothing but to come out to the protest this
certain manner. No
political party could take even a very small part or to express
solidarity in these incidents, leading is a very far concern. It is
not a matter to be happy that no political party were involved in the
incidents, rather it is unfortunate that the views of the political
parties are too poor to hold the people’s voice.

In kansaat, a big change appeared in the view of the upcoming national
election. People hope Mr. Rabbani will compete in the election and
they are not to be happy to see that only ‘Nauka’ and ‘Dhaner Shish’
are in front of them to have their vote. They want to say good bye
to the both in the coming election.

There is a clear class difference in kansat in the participation in
the protest programs. Most of the people that were involved in the
movement are poor and from labor or peasant class. Middle class
participation is a very rare and exceptional case. There are many
students in Rajshahi
University, who are from Kansat, were in Kansat then as the
university was closed then, but didn’t take part in the movement. All
that are died and seriously wounded are from very poor family. It is
not just incidental. Rather, it proves many calculations and brings
many different dimensions in front of our eyes.

May be, Mr. Rabbani is a people from a middle class family, but people
didn’t hesitate to accept him as a leader as he was involved in the
initiative of agitating electricity from very earlier. Moreover, he is
a very pro-people person.

There were some differences in the feeling of the quantitative and
qualitative necessity of the electricity and its uses. We, the urban
middle class will hardly be able to feel the necessity of electricity
of the Kansatbashi. They even don’t bother in case of the failure of
electricity in home uses like light or fan or TV. They felt that their
food that is going to be allocated for the whole coming year is going
to be spoiled due to the absence of the electricity for irrigation.
Then they had nothing do but to come down in the street and protest.
That’s why they didn’t hesitate to stand over open fire

“,1] ); //–>sacrificing themselves.

We are bound to undertake the historical account of how Kansat
happened, what happened and where it went.

We are not going to show the parallel comparisons of other right based
issues happening in Bangladesh, rather we want to draw an overall and
comprehensive conclusion, how and on what pre-conditions a movement
could reach to the goal, how middleclass are unsuccessful to create
and lead a people based and right based movement. How politics and
political parties are very far from the people and serving the
business companies and their interests.

 

Research on background completed

Hello all,

I have tried to compile all the facts about Kansat in a detailed document.  There are lots of 'cuts & pastes' and surely grammatical mistakes too. Had to obtain info from different sources, hence may be a few inconsistencies too.

Shumon, would really appreciate if you can take the time to proof read/edit it.

Tarik, attached a few photographs, just in case you don't have them.

Asif & Mridul, I will get back to you with the appeal letter as soon as DP London launch is complete.

Please review and give your feedback. Thanks.

Shahed

on behalf of Drishtipat

 

The 14 point demand of the people of Kansat

Dear all,

I found at last a 14 point demand document of kansat. That is as follows,

1. withdraw all sorts of Metre rent
2. Minimmum charge should be 75 taka all including
3. all illegal fine in the name of metre check should be stopped 4. Fine for the side connection should be off
5. No farmer should be liable for the stealing of the line or transformer of palli bidyut nor should be fined
6. All family of the dead persons should be paid 2 lakh taka
7. 25 thousand taka should be paid to the most wonded persons each
8. 5-7 persons that are wounded in eyes should be paid 50 thousand taka each
9. all wounded (i.e. more than 450 person) should be given 10 thousand taka each
10. A monument in the memory of the deads should be built in front of the gate of Palli bidyut office
11. all cases should be withdrawn
12. Due bill should be recieved without fine
13. opportunity to pay the due bils with 6 month installment
14. 4th or 23rd January should be declared as a holiday.

Maruf

 

First visit to Kansat

I and Akram have return from kansaat last night. The progress is briefly as follows,1. We met Mr. Golam rabbani yesterday noon. He is happy as the government is agreed with all the claims. The cases had some cofusions and that's why they took more two days (18 May) to fullfill the claims. Rabbani says that, It is our victory. A meeting is called at the Kansaat Rajbari Maath at 3:00 pm on 24 May to declare the victory and pay the compensations to the death and wonded families.

2. We met with the victims, one of the death family, the Family of Anwar, the youngest dead (11) at the Kansaat. They says that, they might have to loss their children but all Bangladeshi people will be served the decreased amount of the Palli Bidyut. The boy was fond of playing with his friends, and on that day he was playing. Plice opened fires and they went to see what are happening. Anwar tried to back home through the street and was fallen in front of the police, one policeman trget him slowly and get him.

3. One paralysed old men was left in the home alone and police came to search the houses, he beg with bonded hand to leave him alone, police fire in his hand.

there are many more sketches in such way that is extremely inhuman. One of the dead went to challenge police why they insulted his old mother. Police just fire him as the answer.

People says that, If govt. don't response this time like earlier, they are quite ready to start fight again. They recognised this fight more than the 71. Because those who saw 71 says that this time police acted more brutally than the Pakistani Army.

Mr. Shahjahan, who was elected repeatedly for 5 times as the MP, has totally ignored the people's agitation. He just said that he knew nothing. That's why people get angry on him. People denyed to vote him this time. The Awami league opponent Mr. Brig. Anamul also didn't took part in the movement, thoght it could be big chance to fight back in the vote battle in Kansaat. But he also regreted.

Rabbani is going to take part in the coming election. This have a mixed reaction in the public. Some are very much agree with him, they want him as a elected leader so that he can do something more being in the government. But some people think that like other elected people's leader in the history he forget people after being elected.

There are 16 Unions in that election area. 6 of them are fully supporting for Rabbani, But the other are not countable. This is very uncertain. On the other hand Mr. Shahjahan is quite confident about his victory in the coming election.

Rabbani was a very popular person since last two years. He always helps others with his own costs. He had a dream to take part in election in any space like Union Council or MP. In the mean time he got a chance to take part in the election for Directors of Pali Bidyut Samity. He took the chance and win. He promised people that if he win he will try to reduce the minumum charge of the palli bidyut. He tried but he faild. then people started to say the all candidates make fake promises. then Rabbani make a big pressure in the authority and as a result he is suspended.

Then he started the movement with the people.

But there is some obscurious. Two claim is deleted from the list, i.e. one is Palli Bidyut must supply uninterrupted electricity to Kanssat, and the 2nd is Mr. Shahjahan's withdrawal from the MP post. some people are not agree with these. because the movement started with the claim of uniterrupted electricity supply. Becaus they have lost their paddy thi season due to lack electricity as it was supplied only 2-3 hours a day.

There is many more issues and findings about Kansaat. But the important thing is to shoot the meeting on 24 May beacause there will be more that one lakh people in the meeting.

Tahnks,

best  regards,

maruf

on behalf of counter foto