When women from all strata continue to leave their mark on the country's socio-economic advancement, the news of slapping a ban on their entering a public place is painful. This is what has recently happened in Sylhet city. According to media reports, around ten unusual notices have recently been pasted at different places, including the entrance, of the 300-year-old Shahi Eidgah in the city. According to the text of the notices, women have been barred from entering the Eidgah ground. It is worth mentioning that except during the two Eid congregations, the ground remains open to the public in the afternoons. People, including women and children, visit the ground in large numbers to spend their leisurely hours.
The sudden appearance of the said notices has taken everyone by utter surprise. The Eidgah authorities have denied their involvement in the sticking of the notices.
In the country the big cities, including Dhaka, are accustomed to seeing women participate in Eid Jamaats in greater numbers every year. Women playing major roles the country's progress, do not deserve the ban. If the Eidgah authority has not pasted the notices, why does it not remove those?
Nafisa Mehjabeen
Munsef Para, Brahmanbaria