Islamist attacks on mystic singers spark sharp reaction in Bangladesh

A wide cross-section of Bangladesh’s civil society on Monday sharply condemned the arrest of popular baul singer Abul Sarkar and the wave of violence that has followed, warning that the country is witnessing an alarming rise in religious vigilantism since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

In a strongly worded statement signed by 250 prominent academics, writers and rights advocates, the group said sectarian tensions had escalated dramatically in the months after the July 2024 mass uprising that toppled the Awami League.

According to the signatories, a new faction claiming itself the sole guardian of Islam has emerged and is carrying out what they described as a systematic purge. They argued that this faction routinely invokes the pretext of “hurting public sentiment” to justify persecution, thereby creating what they called a “suffocating atmosphere” across the country.

The statement catalogued a series of alleged abuses: the demolition of more than 200 shrines, public branding of individuals as murtad or kafir, exhumation and burning of bodies, forcible cutting of the hair of bauls and fakirs, harassment of women over dress and mobility, and the disruption of cultural events including theatre, music, sports and village fairs.

The group criticised what it sees as inaction — and in some instances complicity — on the part of law enforcement agencies. Authorities, they said, have neither curbed “mob terror” nor protected victims. Instead, police had often played down violent mobs as mere “pressure groups”, or worse, detained survivors in “fabricated cases”. Notable signatories included economist Professor Anu Mohammad and academic Salimullah Khan, both long-standing critics of the previous regime.

Rights organisations also voiced their alarm. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) issued a separate statement expressing “deep concerns” over attacks on Sarkar’s followers after his arrest. The Bangladesh chapter of Transparency International said the unfolding events amounted to a troubling assault on communal harmony.

Cultural figures added their own warnings. Poet and activist Farhad Mazhar, speaking at a rally in Dhaka, declared that a new form of “religious fascism” was taking root. “Arresting him means arresting me,” he said, defending Sarkar — known affectionately as 'Moharaj (his majesty)'. Mazhar is married to a member of the advisory council of interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Sarkar was detained by the Detective Branch while performing at a music show in Madaripur, accused of “deliberately” provoking unrest and offending religious sentiments. He was swiftly produced before a court in Manikganj and jailed.

Within 48 hours, Islamist activists operating under the banner of Tawhidi Janata — who claim to champion strict monotheism — attacked fellow baul singers during a rally demanding Sarkar’s release, leaving four seriously injured on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Scholars note that the baul tradition — epitomised by mystic icons like Lalan Shah — has promoted a syncretic, tolerant worldview in Bengal for centuries, predating the puritanical movements represented by Tawhidi Janata.

In protest, left-leaning student groups and cultural activists held torch processions in Dhaka and at Jahangirnagar University, while baul performers staged a demonstration outside the National Press Club.

Tawhidi Janata-linked mobs have, since last year, repeatedly disrupted cultural events, attacked minority groups (particularly Hindus) and demolished Sufi shrines that historically stood for moderate Islamic practice.

Lawyer Sara Hossain told The Business Standard that the government’s handling of these incidents raises “serious questions”, asking why cases invoking “hurt sentiment” are being accepted so readily. She noted that much had been said about freedom of expression over the past year but “little has been honoured”.

Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, cultural affairs adviser in the interim government, said in a Facebook post that the home ministry was handling this “extremely delicate and sensitive matter” with care. However, he also acknowledged that assaults on bauls were not new, having occurred under multiple administrations including the previous Awami League government. Yunus’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam condemned the recent violence as “deplorable” and said efforts were underway to identify the attackers.

The Business Standard, however, criticised the government’s statements as inadequate, arguing that “condemnation without action rings hollow — especially when attackers operate publicly and with apparent impunity”. The paper described Farooki’s remarks as a “weak defence” from a government that came to power promising to undo the excesses of its predecessor.

With PTI inputs