'Religious Extremism Has Surged': Bangladesh Civil Society Slams Baul Singer’s Arrest

Last Updated:November 25, 2025, 14:05 IST

Civil society leaders in Bangladesh have condemned the arrest of singer Abul Sarkar, warning that religious extremism has intensified since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.

Popular 'baul' singer Abul Sarkar (Photo: Social Media)

Multiple prominent figures from Bangladesh’s civil society on Monday slammed the arrest of a ‘baul’ singer, Abul Sarkar, on allegations of “hurting" public sentiment, as well as the violent attacks carried out by Islamist groups against other mystic performers in recent days.

In a joint statement endorsed by 250 citizens, they argued that religious tensions had escalated noticeably since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.

“In the aftermath of the July mass uprising, which brought down Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in 2024, religious extremism has increased," the signatories declared.

The statement alleged that a particular faction had begun positioning itself as the “exclusive representative" of Islam and had launched a sweeping campaign across the country.

It added that this faction repeatedly invoked the idea of injury to public sentiment as a means to create a “stifling atmosphere."

According to the statement, the pattern of violence had become unmistakable, the demolition of more than 200 shrines, branding individuals as murtad, kafir or shatim, exhuming and burning corpses, forcibly cutting the hair of bauls and fakirs, harassing women over mobility and clothing choices, and disrupting cultural events involving dance, music, theatre, sports and fairs.

The group argued that these actions revealed a broader intention, the elimination of people who hold different beliefs or practices.

The signatories, many of whom are academics known for their opposition to the former regime, including Professor Anu Mohammad and Professor Salimullah Khan, further claimed that law enforcement agencies had failed to take meaningful action against mobs or vigilante groups.

Instead, they said authorities had often downplayed such attacks by referring to perpetrators as “pressure groups," and in some cases had even detained victims or pursued fabricated cases against survivors.

Rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) separately voiced “deep concerns" about the violence directed at followers and supporters of singer Abul Sarkar after his arrest.

Transparency Bangladesh also issued a statement, warning that recent incidents pointed to an alarming erosion of religious harmony.

Poet and activist Farhad Mazhar, who participated in a protest rally in Dhaka, described the situation as the emergence of a new form of “religious fascism."

“Arresting him (Sarkar) means arresting me. I will not accept this," said Mazhar, a vocal critic of the former Awami League government and the husband of one of the interim government chief Muhammad Yunus’s advisory council members.

HOW WAS ABUL SARKAR ARRESTED?

The police’s detective branch picked up Abul Sarkar from a musical event in Madaripur, accusing him of intentionally provoking unrest and offending religious sentiment.

He was quickly produced before a Manikganj court and sent to jail.

Two days later, activists aligned with the Tawhidi Janata, a group claiming to uphold monotheistic purity, attacked fellow performers during a street demonstration calling for Sarkar’s release, injuring four on the northern outskirts of Dhaka.

Cultural scholars noted that bauls, such as the revered Lalan Shah, embody centuries-old syncretic and liberal traditions in the region, predating modern puritan movements like Tawhidi Janata by far.

Leftist student organisations and cultural activists staged torchlight marches in Dhaka and at Jahangirnagar University on Sunday, condemning the assault on singers.

A separate group of baul artists demonstrated outside the Press Club, demanding Sarkar’s freedom.

Tawhidi Janata-linked mobs have, since last year, repeatedly disrupted cultural gatherings, vandalised shrines of Sufi saints, and carried out attacks on minorities, particularly Hindu communities.

Yunus’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, condemned the violence and said officials were working to identify the attackers.

News world 'Religious Extremism Has Surged': Bangladesh Civil Society Slams Baul Singer’s Arrest

Read More