Museum postpones exhibition on four leaders over security concerns

‎The Liberation War Museum postponed the inauguration of a special exhibition on the four national leaders shortly before the scheduled opening on Tuesday, as police raised concerns over potential attacks at the site.

‎The 15-day exhibition, titled “The Four National Leaders in the Liberation Struggle”, was scheduled to be inaugurated at 4:00pm at Gallery No 6, fifth floor in the museum in Agargaon, Dhaka. It was organised to highlight the contributions of the four national leaders — Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, M Mansur Ali and AHM Qamaruzzaman — to the country's Liberation War.

However, on Tuesday, museum trustees Sarwar Ali and Mofidul Hoque said that police had advised them not to hold the programme due to security concerns.

‎Speaking to journalists, Dr Sarwar Ali said law enforcement officials informed the museum on Tuesday afternoon that the exhibition should not be held for security reasons.

‎“Following their advice, we postponed the inauguration programme,” he said.

‎Several invited guests had already arrived at the museum for the event when around 12 to 15 police personnel arrived shortly before the scheduled opening and advised the organisers not to proceed, citing security concerns.

‎Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Tejgaon Division Ibn-e-Mizan said the programme was being held without permission.

‎He said the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs had sought police assistance, informing them that no programme could be held at the venue without prior permission. Police personnel subsequently visited the museum to oversee the situation.

‎Asked whether the programme had been cancelled, he said the museum authorities themselves had decided that no event would take place.

‎According to the museum's earlier schedule, the exhibition was supposed to open at Gallery No. 6 on the sixth floor at 4:00pm. Waliul Islam, a former secretary who served in the wartime government, was scheduled to speak at the inauguration.

‎The trustees had planned to hold the exhibition from 3 to 17 November.

‎Explaining the objective of the exhibition, Sarwar Ali said the event was intended to focus on the four leaders' preparations for the Liberation War and their historic roles during the war, rather than simply marking Jail Killing Day.

‎He said the museum generally did not organise programmes focusing on events after December 16, but the exhibition was specifically designed to highlight the leaders' contributions to the independence struggle.

‎Asked why security concerns emerged just before the event, Sarwar Ali said the organisers did not want to question the decision of law enforcement agencies.

‎He added that the museum considered security the highest priority and accepted the advice in view of the prevailing circumstances.

‎Sarwar Ali also said the decision came as a surprise, as the exhibition had been publicised three to four days earlier and the organisers were not aware of any requirement to obtain prior permission for such an indoor programme.