'Bichar gaan' halted in Faridpur

The Upazila administration has halted a "Bichar gaan" event in Faridpur's Nagarkanda and dismantled the pandal built for it.

Nagarkanda Upazila administrator (UNO) Dobir Uddin informed journalists that the event had been organised at Rasulpur Bazar in Talma Union on Wednesday, bdnews24 reports.

However, it was stopped around 7pm "due to the absence of official permission and objections raised by locals."

According to Banglapedia, "Bichar gaan" is a form of folk song performed as a musical debate, with two groups exchanging questions and answers in verse. The tradition goes by different names across Bangladesh - "Baul gaan" in Dhaka and Sylhet, "Fakirail gaan" in Tangail and Mymensingh, "Dhua gaan" in Jashore, "Bhaab gaan" in Kushtia, and "Kobi gaan" in Chattogram. It remains popular in parts of Manikganj and Faridpur.

The organisers said the event was arranged by Soleman Fakir, a member of Ward No. 8 of Talma Union Parishad. Authorities ordered the event to be cancelled just before it was due to begin.

Soleman said, "I arranged this event for one evening at the request of locals. Such performances have taken place in our area before, and I see nothing wrong with it.

"But huzur [Muslim clerics] spread word in the area that it was a jatrapala [a popular form of traditional Bengali folk theatre] and forced it to stop, even though I had completed all preparations after consulting with the UNO. The administration later ordered the pandal to be dismantled."

Soleman claimed he had received verbal permission from both the UNO and the local police station chief for the event.

However, Nagarkanda Police chief Rezaul Karim denied this, saying: "No permission was sought from me to hold the event. When the UNO requested police assistance, I deployed officers to the scene to help."

UNO Dobir said permission is required in advance for such events.

"On Wednesday afternoon, over 150 people complained that it was anti-Islamic and could cause unrest.

"I informed the district administrator, and on his advice, and because the event lacked permission, it was stopped," he said.