A drama performance titled "Apon Dulal" in Kapasia, Gazipur, has been cancelled due to objections from local Muslims.
The play was scheduled to be staged on Thursday morning at the Raniganj Udayan Sangha field in Durgapur union.
Raniganj Udayan Sangha, the organizing group, said rehearsals for "Apon Dulal" had been underway for about a month.
For 52 years, cultural activists had been organizing plays, musical dramas, and folk performances at the Raniganj Udayan Sangha field, the organization said.
This was supposed to be the 52nd edition of their event, they said.
Local theatre activist Khandaker Shahadat Hossain, who was involved in the production, said that on Wednesday night, they were sitting in the market when the imam of Raniganj Bazar Mosque, Azizul Haque, the mosque President Sirajul Islam, and several others approached them and requested that the play not be staged.
They also allegedly said that theatre performances should be permanently stopped there.
As a result, the stage and pavilion that had been set up for the play were dismantled by the decorators.
Khandaker said that "Apon Dulal" is a musical drama that contains no female characters or performances.
He emphasized that it is a "refined and tasteful" play, yet they were not allowed to stage it. “All our preparation, effort, and initiative have gone to waste.”
Meanwhile, Azizul said devout worshippers requested the organizers cancel the play, fearing it might have a negative impact on society.
Eventually, the organizers agreed not to hold the performance for the sake of societal well-being.
He emphasized that no single individual issued the ban; rather, it was a collective decision made by respected community members and local worshippers.
Sirajul said: “Such activities have a harmful influence on society. We, worshippers and respected members of the community, decided to stop the play. Not just in Raniganj, but we have informed them that no more theatre performances will be allowed anywhere in the entire Durgapur union.”
Kapasia police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdul Barik said that neither the organizers nor those who opposed the play had informed the police about the incident.
