Organizers have been forced to halt the screening of the film "Taandob" in Kalihati, Tangail, due to a "lack of security."
The screening was stopped from Tuesday afternoon in the district council's community centre-cum-multipurpose hall in the Auliabad area of Kalihati.
Earlier on Friday after Asr prayers, leaders of Parkhi union's Ulama Parishad held a protest march.
Subsequently, a written application was submitted to the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) demanding the closure of the screening.
Protest leader Maulana Abdullah said the screening could disrupt teaching at mosques, madrasas, and other educational institutions. He also warned of potential immoral activities at the movie's screenings.
For these reasons, a protest and memorandum were organized to demand the hall’s closure.
One organizer, Saju Mehedi, said: “We had invested over Tk9 lakh, including expenses for air conditioning servicing, ticket printing, and hiring volunteers. We were only able to run the film for about two and a half days. The response was promising. However, we faced obstacles in our promotional efforts—they did not allow us to put up posters or use loudspeakers for announcements.”
His fellow organizer Kamruzzaman Saiful added: “The damage caused to me by the local religious leaders should not be repeated for anyone else. People from Balla, Parkhi, and Birbashinda did not attend, but many viewers came from Sakhipur and Mirzapur. When we tried to put up a banner in front of the hall in the morning, it did not even stay there for two minutes.
"I started receiving threats from various sources. Due to insecurity, we had no choice but to stop the screening.”
Kalihati police station OC Zakir Hossain said: “They came to me, but I informed them that I am not authorized to make a decision on this matter.”
Kalihati UNO Khairul Islam said: “I have been informed of the matter. The film was being screened in the district council hall on rent. A formal request for closure was submitted to my office. However, I am currently on leave.”
The chief executive officer of the district council, Shafiqul Islam, said: “We rented out the hall based on an application and an intelligence agency investigation. Several conditions were imposed, one of which was that if law and order deteriorated, the screening must be stopped. I am not aware of what happened afterwards.”
