Filmmaker Khijir Hayat Khan has formally requested exemption from the newly reconstituted Bangladesh Film Certification Board, raising concerns over his inclusion without prior consultation.
On Monday, January 19, Khijir submitted a written application to the board’s vice-chairman, stating that neither discussion nor consent had been sought before his name was included in the latest panel. He described the decision by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as unexpected.
In his application, Khijir said the circumstances that led to his earlier resignation from the board remain unchanged. He noted that accepting the same responsibility again under the existing structure would conflict with his personal and moral position. He added that taking on the role in such a situation would be inappropriate and could undermine the dignity of state responsibility.
The Bangladesh Film Certification Board was reconstituted through a gazette notification issued on January 14, signed by Taslima Noor Hossain, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The 15-member board brings together representatives from the film industry, senior government officials and leaders of related professional bodies.
Alongside Khijir Hayat Khan, the new board includes actress Kazi Nowshaba Ahmed, film editor Iqbal Ehsanul Kabir and director Tasmia Afreen. Other members include the Additional Secretary for Film at the ministry, representatives from the Law and Justice Division, the Press Wing of the Chief Adviser’s Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The panel also features the Managing Director of the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation and representatives from producers’, distributors’, directors’, artistes’ and cinema hall owners’ associations.
Under the notification, the Senior Secretary or Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will serve as chairperson, while the vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Film Certification Board will act as member secretary.
