Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed grave concern over the arrest of Baul singer Abul Sarkar in Manikganj and a mob attack on his supporters during a peaceful human chain protest.
In a statement issued on Monday (24 November), the anti-corruption watchdog said the incident signals a worrying threat to the country’s religious coexistence, communal harmony, and cultural diversity.
According to TIB, law enforcement agencies acted merely as passive observers during the attack, while the government remained silent—an approach that undermines the rule of law, human rights, freedom of expression, and the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman stated that the attack cannot be viewed as an isolated event. “Such incidents are part of a systematic strategy. Pressure on cultural diversity, folk traditions, spiritual practices, and minority beliefs has increased—especially after the fall of the authoritarian government last year,” he said.
He noted that cases of shrine vandalism, exhumation of Sufi saints’ bodies, disruption of Baul gatherings, confiscation of musical instruments, and closure of rural fairs and theatre events are becoming disturbingly frequent. He also described the recent cancellation of music and physical education teacher recruitment in primary schools—under pressure from religious hardliners—as a form of state “surrender.”
Referring to circulating social-media videos, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said the police appeared “visibly disinterested” during the attack. Such silence and inaction, he warned, risks being interpreted as unofficial approval of communal violence.
TIB added that many artists and folk practitioners have gone into hiding out of fear, and students are now uncertain about exercising their cultural freedoms.
The organization emphasized that the events in Manikganj are part of a larger pattern, pointing to recent provocations against the Ahmadiyya community and planned attacks on religious minorities and cultural diversity.
“When the state swiftly acts against an artist but remains silent in the face of public violence, it raises the question—Is the state afraid, incapable, or deliberately encouraging such actions?” Dr. Iftekharuzzaman asked.
TIB urged the government to take a strong stance against mob violence, religious incitement, and cultural repression and to ensure exemplary punishment for those involved. Failure to do so, it warned, would undermine the promise of human rights, minority safety, and cultural freedom in a “New Bangladesh.”
