A week after the murder of a secular blogger, Bangladesh with new watch towers, cctv cameras, and heavy military presence, is geared up to welcome the Bengali New Year, Pahela Boishakh.
The annual celebration is part of the cultural show of the secular Bengali identity, which is in focus this time in the backdrop of a series of attacks on intellectuals and activists by Islamist militants.
Predictably the atmosphere in Dhaka, despite the celebratory bright yellow and red paper works on the streets, is tense following the murder of blogger and law student Nazimuddin Samad in the capital on April 6.
Samad was the latest victim in a series of young intellectuals who have been killed by machete wielding extremists in recent months. Five bloggers were killed in 2015 including Abhijit Roy, a prominent poet and intellectual.
Samad's murder caused an uproar with secular student bodies holding protest rallies in the city demanding justice. In a bid to calm down public sentiments the government of Sheikh Hasina has been asking secular intellectuals to avoid provocative statements online, diplomatic sources told The Hindu on Tuesday.
The secular versus Islamist struggle for influence has acquired a new meaning as the government here plans to celebrate the Bengali New Year on Thursday with fanfare in a show of the Sheikh Hasina government's commitment to secular values.
In this backdrop that analysts here are describing as a state of war between two ideological wings of the Bangladeshi population, the government is showcasing the renovated memorial to Sheikh Mujib ur Rahman where he was assassinated with most of his family on August 15 1975. Mashura Hossain, CEO of the Bangabandhu Memorial Trust said that the next few days will witness a Mujib wave in the city as Bangladesh remembers the sacrifices of 1971 and 1975.
"We are keeping the mrmories of Bangabandhu alive as he remains a unifying force even four decades after his assassination," Ms Hossain who is personal friend of Prime Minister Hasina told The Hindu .