'Imposed On Us By India': In Bangladesh, Calls Grow To Change National Anthem Penned By Tagore, Official Reacts

Bangladesh’s interim government has assured that it has no plans to change the country’s national anthem days after a former armyman claimed that “Amar Sonar Bangla” was imposed by India in 1971 and reflects the country’s colonial past.

Addressing concerns about the Rabindranath Tagore-penned anthem, Bangladesh’s Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain said the Muhammad Yunus government “will not do anything to create controversy.”

On Friday, Bangladesh’s leading cultural outfit Udichi Shilpigosthi organised an event where people sang the national anthem simultaneously across the country amid demands for changes to the anthem and flag. According to the Dhaka Tribune newspaper, the national flag was also hoisted during the program, and patriotic songs were performed alongside the anthem.

National Anthem Row

The row over the anthem began after some critics argued that it does not align with the identity of an independent Bangladesh. Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, the son of former Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ghulam Azam, said the current national anthem is contrary to the country’s existence which was liberated in 1971.

“It reflects the time of the Bengal partition and the merging of the two Bengals. How can an anthem created to unite the two Bengals become the national anthem of an independent Bangladesh? This anthem was imposed on us by India in 1971. There are many songs that could serve as a national anthem. The government should form a new commission to select a new national anthem,” he told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday.

The former brigadier general, who was previously disappeared and later released following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has called for a new anthem that better resonates with the nation’s identity and values. He also argued for constitutional reforms to ensure that laws align with Islamic principles. Azmi’s case received support on Bangladeshi social media, with some users suggesting alternative songs to replace the current anthem.

‘What’s stopping us’

Hindu Minority

This controversy comes as the minority Hindu population faced vandalism of their businesses and properties, as well as the destruction of Hindu temples, during the student-led violence that erupted following the ouster of Hasina. After anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India. The situation has drawn international attention, with various human rights organizations condemning the violence. The US government has also expressed concern over the attacks.