Case filed over singing incident at Durga Puja Mandap in Ctg, 2 arrested
A case has been filed in connection to an incident of singing Islamic song on the stage at a Durga Puja Mandap in Chattogram city. Two people have been arrested in the case for involvement in this incident.
Those two people were arrested at the dead of the night on early Friday. The arrested two are Shahidul Karim and Nurul Islam. However, the police didn’t disclose details about their identities.
Additional deputy commissioner (public relations) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, Kazi Tareq Aziz told Prothom this morning that two people have been arrested on allegation of being involved in the incident of singing Islamic song on the stage at a Puja Mandap.
Details on this issue would be shared from a press conference at the CMP media centre in Dampara Police Lines of the city 1round 11:30 am today, he added.
Kazi Tareq Aziz further added that details information on the accused arrested under this case filed with the police station in connection to the incident would also be shared during the press conference.
The incident occurred on the stage of Durga Puja celebration at JM Sen Hall in Rahmatganj area of the city around 7:00 pm on Thursday evening.
Some of the witnesses said six members of a cultural organisation named Chattogram Cultural Academy performed to songs on the stage of this Durga Puja Mandap.
One of those two songs was an Islamic song titled ‘Shudhu Musalmaner Lagi Asheniko Islam’. As reported by a source, the organisation is supported by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
When the video footages of this incident went viral on social media, it garnered extensive criticism. Under those circumstances, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Farida Khanam went to that Puja Mandap around 10:30 pm on Friday night. She promised to arrest the people involved within 48 hours. Police have reported about arresting two.
A video of about three-minute that went viral on the social media showed six youths singing the song on stage. Some people standing nearby were seen recording the performance.
When asked, president of Chattogram Cultural Academy Selim Zaman told Prothom Alo that they had gone there to perform at the invitation of Sajal Dutta, the joint secretary of the Puja Celebration Committee.
Two different songs were performed there and both of them were songs promoting harmony. Some people are spreading propaganda by editing the video.
However, after verifying the video of that incident that went viral on Facebook fact-checking organisation Rumor Scanner stated on their Facebook page, that the video of was real and not edited.
When asked about Chattogram Cultural Academy, Chattiogram City (north) Chhatrashibir president Fakhrul Islam said that it’s not an organisation of the Chhatra Shibir. However, a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami has confirmed this to Prothom Alo that Chattogram Cultural Academy is a cultural organisation supported by Jamaat-e-Islami.
Sources from the Puja celebration association stated that a dance programme was running on the stage Thursday evening. Some youths came at that time and took to the stage saying that they will sing patriotic songs.
They performed two songs and then left with a thank you. Nobody protested or forced them to leave the stage while they were singing.
When asked, finance secretary of Chattogram City Puja Celebration Association Sukanta Mohajon said that those youths came to joint secretary of the association Sajal Dutta and said that they would perform patriotic songs on stage.
Then they climbed on to the stage and started singing the song. They left after finishing the songs. When tried to contact Sajal Dutta several times on his phone last night to talk about this, his phone was found switched off.
Witnesses said that Chattogram court-announced city mayor and former convener of city BNP Shahadat Hossain along with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer in Chattogram city Shahjahan Chowdhury were present at there at the time of the incident.
When contacted, Shahadat Hossain to know about this he didn’t pick up the call while, Jammat leader Shahjahan Chowdhury said he didn’t visit any Puja Mandap that day.