Administration stops organizing a judicial song on the grounds of ‘anti-Islam’

A traditional judicial song event has been stopped in Nagarkanda, Faridpur on the grounds of ‘anti-Islam’. The judicial song was supposed to be held on Wednesday (October 22) evening at Rasulpur Bazar in Talma Union of the upazila. But it was canceled on the orders of the upazila administration before the event began.

According to local sources, Soleman Fakir, a member of Ward No. 8 of Talma Union, was the initiator of the event. All preparations for the event, including the construction of a stage, a pandal, and miking for two days, were completed. However, some local religious people complained that the judicial song was basically like a “jatrapala” and may have a presentation that is anti-Islamic.

Following this complaint, Nagarkanda Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Dabir Uddin went to the spot and ordered the event to be stopped. On his orders, the pandal was dismantled and the event was stopped.

Organizer Soleman Fakir said, “This is a very old tradition in our area. I organized this at the request of the locals. But some Huzoors advertised it as ‘Jatrapala’ and complained to the UNO. After that, the program was stopped.”

Nagarkanda UNO Dabir Uddin said, “You have to get permission from the District Administrator for such a cultural program. But they were trying to organize the program without permission. In the afternoon, more than 150 people came and complained that the program was against Islam and could cause unrest in the area. When the matter was reported to the District Administrator, the program was stopped on his orders.”

In rural culture of Bangladesh, bichargan is a popular folk music genre, where arguments are presented on social, moral or religious issues through songs and dialogues. It is much like a poetic song—a kind of palagan made with a mixture of song, argument, and spiritual thoughts.

However, in recent times, many events of this genre have been facing disputes over religious sensitivity or lack of permission. Maintaining a balance between local culture and religious sentiments has now become a significant challenge for the administration as well.