Bengal intellectuals’ letter appeals for Bangla peace
Times of India | 9 August 2024
12 Kolkata: More than 50 Bengali intellectuals, including film personality Aparna Sen and former Supreme Court judge Ashok Ganguly, have written to the President of Bangladesh, Mohammed Shahabuddin, and Md Yunus, who is expected to play a key role in the interim government, urging them to take immediate action to stop the attacks on Bangladeshi citizens, including those from the minority groups, and to restore normalcy at the earliest.
The letter, written in Bengali, appeals to both the Bangladeshi administration and the general public and is also sent to the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kolkata.
“The people of Bangladesh will decide on the political and administrative leadership in the country, but we urge to ensure safety and security of every Bangladeshi citizen, irrespective of his/her religion, political affinity, and profession,” stated the letter. The signatories include Sen, Ganguly, former Rabindra Bharati University vice chancellor Pabitra Sarkar, former Jadavpur University vice chancellor Siddhatha Datta; former Kolkata sheriff Dulal Bose, cardiac surgeon Kunal Sarkar, journalist Anirban Chattopadhyay and professor Sabyasachi Basu Roychoudhury.
Stressing the deep cultural and historical ties between West Bengal and Bangladesh, they expressed their concerns over the escalating violence across the border.
In the letter, they pointed out, they had received numerous calls from Bangladeshi friends worldwide, urging them to express solidarity with the affected people.