Bangladesh concert attack: Bricks thrown at show of 'Bheegi Bheegi' singer James; 15-20 students injured

A concert of Bangladeshi rock musician James was called off after what the organisers described as an "attack from the outsiders." As per BDnews24, the event scheduled at the Faridpur District School turned violent when a group of people tried to force their way into the venue after being denied entry and began hurling bricks and stones at the stage.
According to local media reports, at least 25 people were injured, including 15 to 20 students.




The concert was a part of the Faridpur Zila School's 185th anniversary which was scheduled for 9pm on the second day of the two-day event. The organisers recount that moments before the performance was set to begin, a group tried to force their way inside the venue.


The mob then began hurling bricks and stones at the stage, who were then made to retreat after the students resisted the attack, the DailyStar reported.
Later, by 10pm, organising committee convenor Mustafizur Rahman Shamim announced the cancellation of the singer's performance, as per the instructions of the Faridpur deputy commissioner.



"We had completed all preparations to make James’ concert a success. But we do not understand why, for what reason, or who carried out the attack," said Rajibul Hasan Khan, head of the anniversary publicity and media subcommittee. He also stated that at least 15 to 20 students got injured due to the chaos.

Author Taslima Nasreen also highlighted how Siraj Ali Khan, an artist of the Maihar gharana, returned to India without performing in Dhaka after the venue was vandalised hours before the scheduled performance. Recently, Ustad Rashid Khan’s son, Arman Khan, also turned down Dhaka's invitation to perform, stating the disrespectful and unsafe environment created by the mob for musical artists.

"A few days ago, Siraj Ali Khan had come to Dhaka... He returned to India without performing any program in Dhaka, saying that he would not come to Bangladesh again until artists, music, and cultural institutions are safe," wrote Taslima Nasreen on her X account, "Two days ago, Ustad Rashid Khan’s son Arman Khan also declined Dhaka’s invitation. He too made it clear that he does not wish to set foot in a Bangladesh."

The cultural centre Chhayanaut has also been burned down, which, as Nasreen writes, "was built to foster a secular and progressive consciousness through the promotion of music, theatre, dance, recitation, and folk culture."

James, the lead singer of the rock band Nagar Baul, is an iconic Bangladeshi musician. Born Faruq Mahfuz Anam, he is also known for lending his voice to the popular Bollywood hit “Bheegi Bheegi” from the film Gangster.