Photo-collected.
Chittagong Representative //

A case has been filed against seven people, including six members of the Chittagong Cultural Academy, in connection with the performance of Islamic music on the stage of a worship hall in Chittagong city. Sukant Bikas Mahajan, Finance Secretary of Chittagong Metropolitan Puja Celebration Committee filed the case at the city’s Kotwali police station on Friday evening as the plaintiff.

Chittagong Cultural Academy members Shahidul Karim, Nurul Islam, Abdullah Iqbal, Md. Roni, Golam Mustafa and Md. Mamun sang on the Durga Puja ceremony stage at JM Sen Hall in Rahmatganj yesterday evening. In the case, Sajal Dutt, Joint Secretary of the Chittagong Metropolitan Puja Udyapan Committee (expelled after the incident), who was invited to sing along with these six people at their function, has also been made an accused.

Police arrested two of the accused from separate places in the city at night. They are Tanjimul Ummah Madrasa teacher Shahidul Karim and Darul Irfan Academy teacher Nurul Islam.

Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Fazlul Quader Chowdhury said that operations are underway to arrest the rest of the accused in the case. He said that the case has been filed on the allegation of hurting the religious sentiments of Sanatan religious followers through the choice of words in the language of the song.

According to the statement of the case, on the occasion of Sharadiya Durga Puja of Sanatan Dharma followers, a cultural program was organized later in the evening by the Mahanagar Puja Uyapan Committee in the JM Sen Hall premises through various local artist groups. Since last Thursday evening, people of Sanatan religion started coming to the pujamandap and enjoying the program. Earlier, the Joint Secretary of the Puja Committee, Sajal Dutta (expelled after the incident) asked a group of artists from the Chittagong Cultural Academy to perform songs at the event. In view of which, on the day of the incident (yesterday Thursday evening), a group of artists from Chittagong Cultural Academy came to the event and performed two songs. The Puja Udyapan Committee did not stop the song out of concern for communal harmony as the language choice of one of the songs seemed to hurt the religious sentiments of Sanatan devotees. A song (ghazal) that had already been performed went viral on social media, sparking tension among Sanatan devotees. Reactions started coming in from different people. At present there is tension and anger among traditional religious people of Chittagong around that ghazal. For the same purpose, the accused vindictively insulted the religious beliefs and sentiments of the Sanatan religionists and performed the ghazal with hateful lyrics to create noise in religious ceremonies. As a result of which there is a danger of destruction of communal harmony in the whole country.

When asked to know, Sukant Bikas Mahajan, Finance Secretary of Mahanagar Puja Udyapan Committee, the plaintiff in the case, told the media that Sajal Dutt did not inform them that artists of Chittagong Cultural Academy would perform songs. It was not even on the schedule.

Sukanth Vikas demanded that the accused should be arrested and punished. He said, so that such incidents do not happen again in the future. This should be done to create an environment where everyone can get along.

Earlier, the Chittagong Metropolitan Police held a press conference at noon and informed that the two arrested persons are being interrogated. Police are investigating whether there was any malicious motive behind the incident.

Some eyewitnesses of yesterday’s incident said that six members of Chittagong Cultural Academy performed two songs on the Durga Puja stage. One of these songs was ‘Shudhu Musalmaner Lagi Aseniko Islam’. The organization is Jamaat-e-Islami-backed, a source said.

When the video of this incident spread on social media, there was widespread criticism. Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Farida Khanam went to the Puja Mandap yesterday night due to the situation. He assured that the people involved in the incident will be arrested within 48 hours.