Cultural activists and students are marching through the University of Dhaka campus to protest the increasing repression against Baul traditions and folk artists. November 28, 2025.

📷 Sharif Khiam/Newsman Network

Newsman, Dhaka

Defying political pressure and an initial police-led suspension, a private Baul music gathering hosted by a UK expatriate in northeastern Bangladesh successfully proceeded on Thursday night (October 23), featuring live performances by female artists.

Despite strong resistance from a local National Citizen Party (NCP) leader and religious activists, the host refused to back down, The Business Standard, Prothom Alo, and Bangla Stream report.

Operating from 11:00 PM until 4:00 AM, the event drew hundreds of local attendees, with the controversial female artists performing on stage. UK expatriate Shawkat Ali organized it at his residence in Hatia-Radhanagar village under Dirai Upazila to celebrate his daughter’s birthday.

During a Facebook livestream of the event, host Shawkat Ali addressed the political and religious pushback. According to Bangla Stream, Ali alleged that opponents systematically spread false rumors, misrepresenting the traditional Baul event as indecent to manipulate public opinion.

“They claimed we were organizing inappropriate arrangements, but their motives were misguided,” Ali stated. “Despite their attempts, they could not foil the program, and people saw what was actually organized.”

The private celebration encountered strong opposition when Kamrul Hasan Mitu, the NCP’s Dirai Upazila convener, and Islamist activist Atahar Ali Rahat submitted a written petition to Dirai Police Station.

They cited conservative religious norms and nearby religious institutions, claiming the performances of female singers Tanisha and Nila would disrupt local harmony. Yielding to the pressure and citing security concerns, local police initially requested the host to suspend the gathering.

After the event ended peacefully, NCP leader Kamrul Hasan Mitu adopted a more conciliatory tone, telling The Business Standard that their objection was strictly intended to curb potential indecency, not to oppose music altogether.

“We respect the law. Nobody created any trouble over their program, and it ended smoothly,” Mitu remarked. Local Union Parishad Chairman Ekrar Hossain also confirmed that female singers performed and the gathering concluded peacefully.

Civil society groups and media outlets have noted that the incident carries broader significance. Occurring in Dirai, the birthplace of legendary Baul saint Shah Abdul Karim, the standoff underscores a growing pattern of cultural suppression in the region.

Media reports from Prothom Alo and Bangla Tribune noted that the incident parallels an October 5 cancellation of a women’s football match in Dirai under pressure from conservative activists, spotlighting growing threats to secular cultural space in rural Bangladesh.