The Bangladesh government's 1995 case against poet and activist Farhad Mazhar resulted from the publication of his article, "The Ansar Rebellion", in the Bengali magazine Chinta. The article examined the Bangladesh Ansar paramilitary force´s 1994 rebellion demanding better working conditions, and the government's ruthless suppression of the uprising using another paramilitary force, the Bangladesh Rifles.
The case ended within a very short period, and a chastened government set Mazhar free under a court ruling. As reported in the international media, the case was a victory for progressive, anti-censorship forces in Bangladesh and elsewhere. Placed within its full context, however, the case becomes a more complex issue, illustrating the rise of a New Left element in Bangladesh that leaves traditional "progressives" confused at best, suspicious at worst.
Mazhar vs the state
Farhad Mazhar has a history of involvement with causes that have led to direct confrontations with the state. In the early 70s, he was associated with Shiraj Shikdar´s Sharbahara Party (see Himal September/October 1997), paralleling the "armed struggle" strategy of West Bengal´s Maoist Naxalite movement. And after he returned from a decade-long self-exile in America, he was involved with the Oikya Prokriya party, a political grouping that attempted to unify left groups of Maoist inclination.
For this veteran class warrior, the 1994 Ansar Rebellion was vintage "class warfare", and he launched into the cause with relish. In the Chinta article, he wrote, "The Ansars are marginalised, economically deprived, and they have no job security… There is no one in this cruel society to listen to the Ansars. In this intolerable situation, revolt was inevitable. We want to insist at once that this rebellion was just."