Baul music event cancelled in Sunamganj over objections to female performers
A private Baul music event in the home area of Baul legend Shah Abdul Karim was not allowed to go ahead after objections were raised that it could involve “obscenity in the name of music”.
A written application was also submitted to the police seeking cancellation of the event. The organiser later cancelled it to avoid any unpleasant situation. The event had been scheduled for Thursday.
The incident took place in Hatia village of Kulanj Union in Dirai upazila, Sunamganj. Shah Abdul Karim was born in Ujandhal village in neighbouring Taral Union.
According to police and local residents, Shawkat Ali, an expatriate living in the United Kingdom who hails from Hatia, had arranged a small musical gathering at his home to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. Two local female Baul singers, Tanisha and Nila, were scheduled to perform.
On Wednesday, Ataur Ali and Kamrul Hasan submitted a written application to the officer-in-charge (OC) of Dirai Police Station on behalf of villagers, objecting to the event. The police subsequently spoke to Shawkat Ali, who then cancelled the programme.
The application stated that Hatia village had long been known for its religious values and Islamic traditions. It has an Alim madrasah and a shrine dedicated to a Muslim saint, and many Islamic scholars live there.
The applicants claimed that allowing an event featuring female singers could create tension and lead to an undesirable situation in the area. They requested the authorities to take necessary measures to protect the village’s religious traditions and social harmony.
Kamrul Hasan, one of the complainants, said, “There used to be musical events in our village, but such programmes are no longer held. We have mosques and madrasahs, and religious gatherings are organised every year.”
“The programme featuring female singers raised concerns among villagers about possible discontent and disorder. Many believe there could be obscenity in the name of music. For this reason, they requested that the event be stopped on religious grounds,” he added.
Shawkat Ali said he had arranged a small musical event at home for his daughter’s birthday. After objections were raised and he received a phone call from the police station, he cancelled the programme, taking social harmony into consideration.
Dirai Police Station OC Aminul Islam told Prothom Alo, “I looked into the matter and found that it was a private Baul music gathering. After objections were raised, the police spoke to the organiser. He later informed us that he would not hold the musical event.”
Earlier, a friendly football match between women’s teams had to be cancelled after the Committee for Preventing Anti-Islamic Activities in Dirai objected to it.
The match was scheduled to take place at the stadium in Dirai upazila headquarters on 5 October between local club Swapnachura Sporting Club and Zara Sporting Club of Sylhet. The cancellation sparked widespread discussion and criticism.
Jahangir Alam, vice-president of the Sunamganj district committee of Udichi Shilpigoshthi, said objections had previously been raised against women’s football, and now a group’s objections had led to the cancellation of a Baul music event. He said it was regrettable that two events had been cancelled or suspended following local objections in quick succession.
He added that although the objections were framed as efforts to protect religious values and social harmony, the administration and law enforcement agencies needed to consider how cultural activities and opportunities for women to participate in sports could be safeguarded in such circumstances.