258 citizens issue statement demanding release of Baul Abul Sarkar

A total of 258 citizens have condemned the arrest of Baul singer Abul Sarkar on allegations of religious defamation and demanded his immediate release. Their call came in a joint statement signed by Professor Khalikuz­zaman Elias and issued on Sunday, November 23.

The statement, sent to the media, strongly criticised recent attacks, mob violence, vandalism and arrests carried out across the country over alleged incidents of religious defamation.

It said that in the period following the July mass uprising, religious extremism had resurged. A particular group, acting as if the ‘sole agents’ of Islam, had launched a nationwide purge, demolishing more than 200 shrines, declaring numerous individuals apostates, exhuming corpses for burning, forcibly cutting the hair of Baul-Fakirs on the streets, harassing women over dress and movement, and disrupting cultural events such as dance, music, theatre, sports and fairs, with the intention of eliminating all dissenting views and diverse practices.

The statement added that such acts were creating a suffocating environment by obstructing ordinary people’s spontaneous way of life, freedom of expression, emotions, festivals, spiritual practices and cultural entertainment.

The arrest of Baul singer Abul Sarkar was cited as the latest example of this alarming trend.

The signatories said the situation was alienating pro-democracy citizens from the new order and paving the way for the return of defeated fascist forces. They warned that it also enabled conspirators to portray Bangladesh internationally as a potential extremist religious state — a deeply worrying prospect for the nation’s future.