13 sued for disgracing devotees of Lalon


Mustaches of these Bauls were forcefully shaved and their hairs were cut short by a group of people in Habaspur of Pangsha upazila in Rajbari. The group was unleashed against the Bauls by Felu Kari, inset, to make the spiritual musicians "conform to Islamic ways".Photo: STAR

A devotee of mystic legend Lalon Fakir yesterday filed a case against 13 people on charge of forcibly shaving off the long hair and moustaches of 28 devotees at Char Ramnagar under Pangsha upazila.
Mohammad Fakir, 60, filed the case with Pangsha Police Station stating some local fanatics and influential people also forced them utter 'tawba' (confession of guilt) at a local mosque and forbade them to follow Lalon.
The incident happened on April 5.
The accused are Yunus Quari of Para Belgachi, Karim Bazari, Jinder Sheikh, Joynal Sheikh, Abdul Malek Matubber, Riaz Shikder, Insan Faraji, Nazrul Kari, Mukter Sheikh, Fela who is also know as Felu Quari, Mosharraf Molla, Nuru Kha and Shahidul Kha.
"All those are ignorant of Islam. We've made them Muslim through the rite of tawba. We've taken their undertakings," said Felu Quari, justifying their act.
Munshi Mofazzel Hossain, officer-in-charge of Pangsha Police Station, termed the incident heinous.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Lalon devotees of Pangsha and other areas demonstrated at Pangsha tempo stand demanding immediate arrest and punishment of the culprits yesterday.
Protesting the incident, cultural activists of Rajbari formed a human chain in front of Rajbari Press Club around 10:00am and handed a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Syeda Sahana Bari.
Talking to The Daily Star, Mohammad Fakir said Musa Molla, a local arbitrator, and Felu Quari, an Imam of a mosque, were threatening him and his family members terming them Hindu for the last few months.
According to the case statement, at least 50 people led by Yunus Quari of Habashpur entered Mohammad Fakir's house when the devotees were performing Lalon songs. The attackers vandalised the microphone and other musical instruments, and ordered the devotees to stop the programme.
Later, they took the 28 devotees to a nearby mosque.
Following an arbitration on the same day, the imam announced their decision to cut off the hair and moustaches of the devotees in a mass gathering, said Mohammad Fakir as he showed his lost hair and moustaches.
Police initially recorded a general diary which was transformed into a case yesterday.

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