'Alvida' Singer's Concert Called Off In Bangladesh As Mob Throws Bricks At Venue, Students Injured

New Delhi: Popular Bangladeshi rock musician James concert had to be called off as outsiders barged into the venue after being denied entry and disrupted the show, injuring at least 25 people including students. Organisers of the event described the incident as an "attack from the outsiders." 

According to a local news portal, the event at the Faridpur District School in Bangladesh turned violent when a mob forced into the school grounds and started hurling bricks and stones at the crowd gathered for the show. The violence led to panic and chaos as the students resisted the mob. The concert was eventually called off at 10 pm to prevent further injuries. 

James, whose fame extends beyond borders, and is also referred to as the “Guru of Rock” in Bangladesh, was taken away from the venue. Reports indicate that the organising committee convenor announced that the performance had to be cancelled following the instructions of the Faridpur deputy commissioner.

The ‘Bheegi Bheegi’ Singer

James' fame extends beyond borders and is best known in India for his Bollywood song ‘Bheegi Bheegi’ from the movie Gangster in 2006 and 'Alvida' from the film ‘Life In A Metro’ in 2007. Born as Faruq Mahfuz Anam, and popularly known as 'Nagar Baul' in Bangladesh, James is a singer-songwriter and guitarist. Some of his hit Bangladeshi songs include ‘Jogoter Ghum,’ ‘Eto Kosto,’ ‘Ek Nodi Jamuna,’ and ‘Pagla Hawa.’

How Taslima Nasrin Reacted

Exiled author Taslim Nasrin called out the attackers, referring to them as ‘jihadists,’ saying that it is not an isolated even after the cultural center Chhayanaut and Udichi were burnt to ashes.

“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,” Taslim Nasrin said on X.

Nasrin also pointed out that the James incident follows after Siraj Ali Khan, the grandson of Ali Akbar Khan, who is the son of the world-famous maestro Ustad Allauddin Khan, had gone back from Dhaka without performing saying that cultural institutions are not “safe.”

“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. 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,” she added.

Unrest In Bangladesh

Bangladesh has spiraled into a wave of unrest after the death of Inqilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman Hadi, months before the neighbouring country goes into its first national election after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. The attacks included media institutions like Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, as well as Indian diplomatic missions including the one at Chittagong. The mob had also carried out atrocities against the minority Hindu community, the most barbaric being the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das.

Hadi was a vocal critic of India and one of the strongest critics of the Awami League. He was also at the forefront of the July Uprising in Bangladesh that toppled Sheikh Hasina.

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