A legal notice has been served on the authorities, including the inspector general of police (IGP) and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner, seeking immediate action to shut down unlicensed shisha lounges and alleged drug dens operating in upscale areas of the capital.
The notice was sent by Advocate SM Zulfikar Ali Junu, chairman of the National Lawyers Council, to the home secretary, IGP, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) director general, DMP commissioner and other concerned officials on Thursday.
The notice refers to reports published in various newspapers, which allege that several establishments in Gulshan, Banani, Dhanmondi and Uttara operate as cafes or lounges during the day but turn into shisha bars at night. According to the reports, tobacco shisha is used alongside various illegal drugs at these venues, and other unlawful activities are also carried out.
The notice states that shisha bars are not permitted under existing laws in Bangladesh, as there is no approval from the Ministry of Health or the Department of Narcotics Control. Despite the legal prohibition, the number of such establishments has reportedly increased due to a lack of effective monitoring and enforcement.
The notice also mentions a recent incident in Banani, where a 31-year-old internet entrepreneur, Rahat Hossain Rabbi, was killed after leaving a shisha lounge named “360 Degrees.” Investigations later revealed that a shisha bar called “Arabian Kozi” had previously operated at the same location and was shut down during a raid by the Department of Narcotics Control, but later resumed operations under a different name.
According to the notice, more than a hundred shisha lounges are allegedly operating in Dhaka, with at least 50 of them having become popular hangouts for young people. Some reports claim that drugs such as yaba, marijuana, phensedyl and liquid cocaine are mixed with shisha at certain venues.
The legal notice urges the authorities to take immediate and effective measures to close all unlicensed shisha lounges and prevent the continuation of illegal activities in the name of such establishments.