Baul Singer Abul Sarkar Jailed in Manikganj over Alleged Blasphemy Charges

In Ghior upazila of Manikganj, Baul singer Abul Sarkar has been arrested and sent to jail following allegations that he made “derogatory remarks about Islam and Allah” at a musical event. On Thursday evening, after recording his confessional statement, Manikganj Judicial Magistrate Court-1 Judge Nazrul Islam ordered that he be sent to jail, court police confirmed.

A case was filed on Wednesday afternoon against the Baul singer—known locally as Chhoto Abul Sarkar—by Mufti Md. Abdullah, the imam of Ghior Bandar Mosque. The complaint alleges that on 4 November, while performing a folk ballad at the Jabrakhala Pagli’s fair stage in Ghior, he made objectionable comments about Islam, the creation of Almighty Allah, and religious beliefs, thereby hurting religious sentiments and delivering statements intended to provoke communal tension. After a video of the incident spread on social media, criticism and protests erupted.

Following the incident, he was detained by the Manikganj District Detective Branch (DB) police on Wednesday night from another musical event in Madaripur. After being taken to the DB office on Thursday morning, he was produced before the court in the afternoon. The judge later ordered him to be sent to jail. Ghior Police Station OC Md. Kohinur Islam said that the case is under investigation and the allegations are being verified.

Meanwhile, demanding punishment for Abul Sarkar, a human chain and protest rally were held on Thursday afternoon in front of the Manikganj Chief Judicial Magistrate Court premises under the banner of “Alem-Olama and Tawhidi Janata.” Leaders of various Islamist organizations participated and demanded swift justice.

However, Raju Sarkar, an associate artist of Abul Sarkar, claimed that the incident has been misinterpreted. He said that instead of sharing the main context of the folk performance, a group circulated only a clipped portion of the video on social media, distorting the context. He claimed that in response to a rival Baul singer’s question during the performance, Abul discussed the order of God’s creation but did not make any derogatory remarks. He added that some groups became angry because Abul had made comments against fundamentalism at the event.