In Nilphamari, a concert stage was vandalized with slogans of “Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar”. Local youngsters in Nilphamari damaged a concert stage, yelling “Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar” (God is Great). The incident occurred on Sunday night on the Babrijhar School and College grounds in Sadar Upazila.
In Nilphamari, a concert : The organizing committee claimed that the incident was ordered by UP Chairman Jahangir Alam Shah Fakir. As a result, they have lost one million taka.
According to local sources, on Sunday night, local youngsters held a performance on the school grounds. The concert was planned to feature local vocalists and dancers, as well as Rangpur-based performers. When the local Tawhidi public learned of the news, they began to protest the evening’s music and performance. Initially, they requested that the concert be called off. When the organizers refused to comply, the locals banded together, armed with sticks, and damaged the stage, yelling “Nara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar” (God is Great). The concert was then cancelled.
Several people, commenting on the condition of anonymity, said that while the field belongs to the school, it is also utilized as an Eidgah (prayer area). There is also a mosque near to the field. They objected the staging of such a “vulgar” music and dance gathering near a religious site and had it cancelled. However, no casualties were recorded during the incident, and the situation has already returned to normal.
Basu Islam, a member of the organizing committee, indicated that the performance was planned with the agreement of both the administration and the school authorities. He said that UP Chairman Jahangir Alam Shah Fakir and members of Jamaat-e-Islami destroyed the stage and disrupted the concert. This resulted in damage to their sound system and other equipment worth almost 1 million taka.
Denying the charges, Chapra Saramjani UP Chairman Jahangir Alam Shah Fakir stated that after the events of August 5, he has taken precautions to avoid any problems within his union. He expressed fear that staging a performance on the school field would cause turmoil and urged that it be cancelled. However, his request was ignored. When locals complained, the police intervened and called off the concert.
M.R. Saeed, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Nilphamari Sadar Police Station, said that permission had been obtained for the event. However, it was verbally indicated that the event should not proceed if there was a risk of conflict. After receiving reports, police were dispatched to the scene. After assessing the situation, the cops called off the concert.
