Singer James concert cancelled in Bangladesh after venue attacked; 25 injured in violence
The concert was scheduled to take place at 9:00 pm on Friday to commemorate a local school's anniversary. The crowd tried to stop the attackers but the concert had to be cancelled after local authorities' instructions.
New Delhi: Famous Bangladeshi singer James' concert was called off in Faridpur near Dhaka after a group of people attacked the venue. According to local reports, the mob forcibly entered the venue and threw bricks and stones at the crowd, injuring more than 25 people.
The concert was scheduled to take place at 9:00 pm on Friday to commemorate a local school's anniversary. The crowd tried to stop the attackers but the concert had to be cancelled after local authorities' instructions.
James is a popular singer and songwriter and has also sung several hit songs in Hindi movies such as 'Bheegi Bheegi' from the film 'Gangster' and 'Alvida' from the film 'Life In A Metro'.
Taslima Nasreen expresses concern
Voicing concern over the incident, Author Taslima Nasreen criticised the pattern developing in Bangladesh. In a post on social media platform X, she said, "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."
"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 added.
She further said that Ustad Rashid Khan's son Arman Khan also declined Dhaka's invitation two days ago. "He too made it clear that he does not wish to set foot in a Bangladesh inhabited by music-hating jihadists," she said.
Bangladesh on the edge
The situation in Bangladesh has been tense since the killing of student leader Osman Hadi. Islamic, hardline radical mobs have gone on a rampage in the country, attacking cultural institutions like Chhayanaut, Udichi, artists, journalists, and leading newspaper offices.
The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has come under fire from various fronts for failing to contain the situation critics of the interim government believe that incidents of violence and arson are being orchestrated to postpone the February general elections.