We, the Rapid Response Taskforce under rights-based organization, VOICE, are gravely concerned by the ongoing persecution of folk artists, particularly the recent detention of Abul Sarkar, and the mounting wave of violence and intimidation targeting Bauls, fakirs and folk practitioners across Bangladesh. His arrest and the aftermath must be seen in a broader context of rising threats to cultural freedom, pluralism, and the right to express spiritual and folk traditions without fear.
On 20 November 2025, Abul Sarkar, president of the national Baul organization, was arrested in Madaripur and subsequently remanded to jail following a case filed on charges of “hurting religious sentiments.” In response, supporters planned a peaceful human chain in Manikganj demanding his immediate and unconditional release. That gathering was met not with dialogue or protection, but with brutal and public violence. On 23 November, a group under the name Towhidi Janata attacked the Baul supporters, many of whom were unarmed, with sticks and bricks, injuring at least three individuals. Some victims were forced to flee into a nearby waterbody to escape the assault.
Earlier, on 26 June 2024, the home of a 90‑year‑old follower of Lalon Shah, recognised as one of the founding figures of contemporary Baul culture, was vandalised in Kushtia. The house was destroyed by alleged assailants, who reportedly mobilised through mosque loudspeakers. The elderly woman, along with her community, was targeted in what appears to be a coordinated attempt to suppress folk traditions. This incident prompted prominent artists, musicians, writers and cultural figures to raise voice demanding that the government protect Bauls, fakirs, and Lalon followers and ensure their freedom to practice and express their culture without harassment or fear.
The targeting of the Baul–fakir–folk tradition is not an isolated incident. In August 2025, Jamaat-e-Islami and other religious parties publicly demanded replacing music and dance education in schools with religious teaching, undermining Bangladesh’s pluralist heritage. Alarmingly, this proposal was accepted by the government, signalling a growing threat to the nation’s cultural diversity. Meanwhile, heightened security had been deployed at Lalon Shah’s akhra in Kushtia ahead of his death anniversary in October, reflecting tension around cultural practices and the fear of potential attacks on folk traditions.
In September 2025, a viral video showed a 70‑year‑old fakir, Halim Uddin Akand, being forcibly dragged, pinned down by several men in grey vests, and publicly shaved, his matted hair and beard, cultivated over 37 years, cut off in broad daylight in Kashiganj village of Mymensingh’s Tarakanda upazila. Even though two men have been arrested in relation to the crime, the forced head‑shaving of a fakir triggered nationwide outrage, underlining the grotesque humiliation such acts inflict on individuals and communities who live outside the narrow definitions imposed by extremist groups.
However, dozens of respected civil‑society voices have warned that the recent arrest of Abul Sarkar, coupled with the violent attack on his supporters, are symptomatic of a larger, organised campaign of intolerance, discrimination, and cultural suppression. These are not secluded incidents, but part of a disturbing pattern: forced cancellations of folk and shrine‑based cultural events, vandalism of shrines, confiscation or destruction of musical instruments, threats and attacks against artists, fakirs and minority‑belief practitioners.
The targeting of Abul Sarkar, a respected folk artist whose work embodies the spiritual, humanist, and inclusive heritage of Bangladesh, sends a chilling message to all cultural practitioners, not only in Manikganj but nationwide. What is at stake is not a single individual, but the very space for cultural pluralism, freedom of conscience, and artistic expression in our country. The violence, intimidation, arrests, and legal harassment constitute a violation of constitutional rights on freedom of expression, assembly, religious belief and cultural practice, enshrined in Constitution of Bangladesh.
As a responsible taskforce committed to defending digital, civic and cultural freedoms, we therefore demand:
- the immediate and unconditional release of Abul Sarkar
- a transparent public inquiry into the November 23 attack in Manikganj
- full protection and safety for Bauls, fakirs, folk artists, shrine‑based practitioners, and cultural activists
- and a firm assurance from the government that diversity in spiritual, cultural and artistic expression will not only be tolerated, but protected as a core component of Bangladesh’s national identity.
We stand in solidarity with Abul Sarkar, his family, the wider Baul community, and all defenders of cultural freedom. The release of Abul Sarkar is not only an act of justice, but a necessary step in preserving Bangladesh’s vibrant, plural, and humanistic cultural heritage, before intolerance and extremism extinguish voices that have long sung the songs of unity, tolerance, and humanity.