This rally, which brought together theatre artistes, writers, directors, designers, and cultural activists, came in the wake of the controversial resignation of Syed Jamil Ahmed, the Academy’s former director general. The procession aims to voice a clear and urgent demand for not only the reinstatement of Ahmed but also for the autonomy of Shilpakala Academy, free from bureaucratic interference.

Syed Jamil Ahmed, the newly appointed director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, has called for the allocation of at least three percent of the national GDP for the cultural sector to make the academy financially capable and self-sufficient.