Police in Gopalganj have arrested the organizer of a concert after thousands of audience members chanted slogans in support of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the event, with nearly the entire crowd eventually joining in.
Hafizur Rahman, also known as Pial, owner of FNF Convention Hall and Party Center, was arrested by Gopalganj Sadar police on Tuesday morning. Police said he was shown arrested in a previously filed case under the Anti-Terrorism Act and was later sent to jail by a court.
The arrest followed a concert at Gopalganj Municipal Park on Monday evening to mark the grand opening of FNF Convention Hall and Party Center. Singer Mainul Ahsan Noble performed at the event.
According to police and local sources, slogans supporting Awami League President and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina began coming from sections of the audience during the concert.
The organizers attempted to stop the chanting, and an announcement was made from the stage saying that the concert was not a political event. The slogans, however, continued as almost the entire crowd joined in.
The program was eventually stopped at around 9:15 p.m.
Police Say Concert Had No Permission
Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Md Habibullah said the concert had been organized without police permission and that disorder occurred during the event.
He also said there were allegations that supporters and activists of an organization whose activities have been prohibited had gathered at the venue.
Police cited those circumstances in connection with Hafizur’s arrest under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
However, Hafizur was not arrested in a newly filed case over the concert. Police instead showed him arrested in an earlier case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
When asked about the complainant and the first information report in the case, the superintendent of police did not provide details. Sources at Gopalganj Sadar Police Station confirmed that Hafizur had been shown arrested in a previously filed case.
Hafizur’s father, Khalid Hossain, is the treasurer of the Tungipara upazila unit of the Awami League, whose activities are currently prohibited, and a former chairman of Barni Union Parishad.
The available account did not say that Hafizur himself chanted any political slogan during the concert. On the contrary, the organizers were reported to have tried to stop the slogans and publicly announced from the stage that the event was not political.
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