In an instance which can be termed as an effort to censor free thought and dissent on social media, former TMC MP and eminent Bengali musician Kabir Suman's Facebook account has been blocked for posting a song eulogising Afzal Guru. He posted the song in the backdrop of the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and protests at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jadavpur University where slogans with ‘anti-national’ hues were allegedly raised.
Minutes after he posted the lyrics of the song on Friday, he received a notification saying that his Facebook account was down, only to realise that it has been blocked hours later. In a late night development on Friday, the account was restored from Facebook's end. Cyber experts reveal that people not agreeing with his posts must have 'reported abuse' on his account, which may have led to Facebook blocking the account.
Kabir Suman who started a new fresh trend in Bengali modern songs with his pathbreaking album Tomake Chai (I Want You) in 1992 is arguably the best musician of his generation. But over the years, he has attracted detractors for his controversial take on several issues.
He has in principle sided with Naxals, also cutting an album called Chhatradharer Gaan for the now jailed Naxalite Chhatradhar Mahato. He was also sympathetic towards dreaded Maoist operative Kishanji, who was killed in an encounter shortly after the Mamata govt came to power.
Kabir Suman became an MP contesting on a TMC ticket in 2009. But soon, he had a tiff with party supremo Mamata Banerjee and was virtually sidelined inside the party. He later disassociated himself from active politics. However, Suman and Didi have come close off late with the singer and former journalist saying he would chose her over CPI(M) any day. Suman has been particularly critical of the RSS-BJP, claiming that the Burdwan blast was a hatchet job.
Suman has raised his voice against the Ishrat Jahan 'fake encounter' case and against, what he calls, 'oppression of the Indian state in Kashmir'.
Just after getting unblocked on Facebook, he posted a status update accusing the current regime of misleading people and lent his support to Kovan, Umar Khalid, SAR Geelani among others.
Suman blasted the government saying:
This is the controversial poem Suman wrote that got him ‘banned’ from Facebook.
For the poet Agha Shahid Ali and for Kashmir
“We shall meet again in Srinagar,” I want to answer Irfan. But such a
promise?
Agha Shahid Ali
No matter where you are
We’ll meet in Srinagar
History, tell me now
When will you give us freedom.
The night’s poem drifts In Jhelum all alone
The poet of the darkness knows
We’ll meet in Srinagar.
Shots fired from Insas
Bullet wounds in the sky
The stars are bullet holes
As numerous as our lamps.
When did the last flame die
And in whose home was it
Listen to this Afzal Guru
We’ll meet in Srinagar.
History has its gallows
Its bullets and its boots
Yet it’s history again that breathes
When a single robin chirps.
Freedom in Kashmir
The robin chirps alone
I swear by this song, my Love
We’ll meet in Kashmir.
This is the original Bengali poem:
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 "Kabir Suman")
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