Midnight clash erupts at Shah Paran shrine

A bloody clash erupted on Monday midnight at the shrine of Hazrat Shah Paran (RA) in Sylhet between supporters of Ors and local clerics and people.

Sporadic clashes continued from 2:30am to 4:00am on Monday (September 9), injuring 30 to 35 people on both sides.

During the clashes, the office of the shrine was vandalised along with the meeting room of the khadim of the shrine. Later, an army team reached the spot and brought the situation under control.

According to eyewitnesses and local sources, the annual Ors started at Shah Paran (RA) shrine three days ago. Local people have been protesting for the past few days to prevent various anti-social activities including singing and playing centring the Ors. The shrine authorities even promised in a meeting that there would be no anti-social activities in the name of Ors. And later singing and playing music in Ors was banned. Therefore, a delegation of religious leaders stayed in the shrine area from the first day of Ors. The delegation monitored the overall affairs so that no third party can create a chaotic situation during the Ors.

On Monday night, the witnesses said, the clerics were sitting on the steps of the shrine's mosque and performing zikir and ghazal. At that time, a group of people adorned with red scarfs on head attacked them and started beating them.

The attacked clerics took refuge inside the mosque. Such news spread on social media. Later hundreds of people from different areas came with sticks and rescued the clerics sheltering in the mosque and attacked the group wearing red clothes.

There was a clash between the two sides and several people from both sides were injured. Later, around 4:30 am, an army team came and brought the situation under control.

Shah Paran Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Harunur Rashid Chowdhury said there was a clash between some fakirs and local clerics who came to the shrine. In the clash between the two groups, some vandalism occurred due to stone pelting.

"In fact, specifically no one came to attack the shrine. It has not yet been identified who is involved in the incident. However, the police are working to bring those involved under the law. So far no one has been arrested in connection with this clash," he added.