Even as the protests and condemnation against attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh reached feverish pitch in Tripura the three-day film festival of the Bangladesh government to be held in Agartala has been postponed. The film festival was organized by Bangladesh Assistant High Commission and ICA department of Tripura government jointly from Thursday. Several eminent film personalities of Bangladesh were also supposed to attend the festival. However, following protests and a section of youths openly threatening to force its abandonment the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Tripura in a letter to the government informed the postponement of the festival on Wednesday.
The letter said, “due to unavoidable circumstances” the festival was postponed.
The film festival was supposed to screen 34 films, mostly on 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, were planned to be screened from October 21 to 23 in the Rabindra Satabarshiki Auditorium.
Meanwhile, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Tuesday urged the Bangladesh government to protect the lives, properties and religious places of the minorities in that country.
Many organisations, intellectuals, political parties and NGOs in Assam and Tripura have condemned the recent attacks on people belonging to the Hindu community in Bangladesh, besides organising protest rallies against the communal violence in the neighbouring country.
They have met the Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioners in Agartala and Guwahati and urged them to request their government to ensure action against those who attacked the minorities, vandalised Durga Puja pandals and properties belonging to the non-Muslim families.