THEATRE group Prangonemor was forced to reschedule its production of Shesher Kabita after Mahila Samiti Mancha, the venue the group booked, had cancelled the event on threat from a group that identified it as ‘tawhidi janata.’ The threat, received on April 12, included warning of vandalism. Only after public protests by the group did the police and venue officials respond to the situation. Although the police later offered to ensure security, the core issue remains unresolved: cultural organisers are once again forced into defensive manoeuvres. This is not the first time. The same venue cancelled the Dhaka Metropolitan Theatre Festival after anonymous threats in February. The organisers reported that a group objected to the event and threatened attacks. Even after police assurances, the group returned and pulled down the festival decorations. Many sex workers were assaulted at various points in Dhaka in September–November 2024. Despite repeated demands from the sex worker community, no case or police action was forthcoming. In recent months, similar tactics disrupted women’s football matches in several districts and an urs programme in Narayanganj. In all the cases, the police action was not prompt enough and was merely reactive.
The recurring threats from an organised mob, ‘tawhidi janata’, demand more proactive action on part of the government. The government, however, has so far treated such threats and attacks as isolated incidents when a recent Agence France-Presse fact-check traced the presence of three men across three major incidents — from sit-ins in front of two national daily newspapers to a siege at the Shahbagh police station, where protesters demanded the release of a man accused of sexually harassing a university student. One of the identified men was previously detained for financing Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, a banned militant outfit. Another is a former member of Ansarullah Bangla Team. The city police said that they were investigating the recent tawhidi janata incidents to establish whether they were isolated or orchestrated. While the series of appearances of tawhidi janata suggests a pattern of organised crime and heightened right-wing activism, the soft action of all the authorities concerned indicate their right-wing bias. The government’s failure to act decisively emboldens the actors and imperils the image of the interim government as unable or unwilling to uphold the rule of law.
The government should, therefore, treat such incidents not as being isolated but as part of a coordinated, ideological campaign that undermines legal and civic order and initiate a thorough investigation of the individuals and networks banded under the label. Security agencies should identify and act against repeat offenders and political institutions should reaffirm that mob intimidation, however cloaked, would face consequences.
