Concert of Bangladeshi singer James, popularly known for his iconic song ‘Tumi Jodi Hoito’ was cancelled due to a mob attack, leaving 25 people injured. The concert was happening in Faridpur, which is about 120 kilometres from capital Dhaka. Recently there has been a series of attacks on artists, performers, and media houses. As per the local newspaper reports, the concert was scheduled around 9.00 pm yesterday night to celebrate the anniversary of a school in Faridpur, but a group of hooligans forced enter the concert venue and started throwing stones and bricks on the concert attendees. Owing to the attack, the event was cancelled.
What did Taslima Nareen say?
On social media platform X, author Taslima Nasreen condemned the attack and slammed the ongoing incidents in Bangladesh. She wrote, “The cultural center Chhayanaut has been burned to ashes. Udichi-the organization that was built to foster a secular and progressive consciousness through the promotion of music, theater, dance, recitation, and folk culture-has also been burned to ashes. Today, jihadists did not allow the renowned singer James to perform at an event.”
In another tweet, Nasreen wrote, “A few days ago, Siraj Ali Khan had come to Dhaka. He is the grandson of Ali Akbar Khan, the son of the world-famous maestro Ustad Allauddin Khan. Siraj Ali Khan himself is a distinguished artist of the Maihar gharana. He returned to India without performing any program in Dhaka, saying that he would not come to Bangladesh again until artists, music, and cultural institutions are safe,”. Nasreen, who is currently in exile wrote, “Two days ago, Ustad Rashid Khan’s son Arman Khan also declined Dhaka’s invitation. He too made it clear that he does not wish to set foot in a Bangladesh inhabited by music-hating jihadists.”
