Bride and parents flogged, autorickshaw seized after loud wedding mic leads to village arbitration

District Correspondent

A bride, her parents and family members were beaten up by fundamentalists for playing a microphone to celebrate a wedding in Hatiya, Noakhali. Later, the poor family was fined Tk 30,000 by arbitration. The attackers seized the groom’s autorickshaw for not paying the fine.

This medieval punishment was handed down at an informal arbitration in Ward No. 9 of Burirchar Union of the upazila yesterday afternoon.

The administration, despite receiving the information, did not take any action against the extremists. The families of the victims of this incident are in panic. They are also mentally broken.

The family said that in the presence of some local influential people, the fundamentalists first created a ruckus by demanding accountability for the use of a microphone at the wedding ceremony. Local influential people Alauddin Majhi, Taslim, Anwar Majhi, Sentu, Rafiq and some others set up a private arbitration court against the bride’s parents. There, they sentenced the bride’s father Shahjahan and family members to 15 lashes each. Later, they were fined Tk 30,000.

Unable to pay the fine, the arbitrator seized the autorickshaw, the only means of income for the bride’s husband.

The bride’s father, Shahjahan, said, “I am a poor man. I played the microphone to have some fun at my daughter’s wedding. For this, Afsar, Charwar, and Malek beat us all up. Later, they set up an arbitration court, beat us with canes, and imposed fines. Since I could not pay the money, they also took away my son-in-law’s autorickshaw. I am not getting justice anywhere. Now they are threatening me even more.”

Alauddin Majhi, who was present at the arbitration, said he confirmed the verdict.

He said, “Women were not caned, men were. Shah Jahan was given the responsibility of controlling women.”

Lawyers say that this is completely illegal, the attackers have committed a criminal offense. Legally, no one has the right to arbitrate in such an incident. If there was any social objection to playing the microphone, it could have been resolved at the police station or through the court of law. There is no scope for whipping or fines in these cases.

Locals say that such arbitration is completely illegal. No law in Bangladesh gives village arbitrators the right to inflict corporal punishment. However, the fundamentalists are ignoring the law.

Sagaria outpost SI Farhad Hossain said, “I received news of the clash. I told both sides to take legal action. They have arbitrated, so I am not staying any longer. No one has filed a written complaint yet.”

Local cultural activists say that “pressure is increasing” in the cultural arena during the Yunus government. Fundamentalist groups are also becoming more aggressive day by day.

In this incident, local activists and cultural organizers say that despite the damage to cultural activities during the Yunus government, no justice is being done.

They allege that attacks on Baul artists, stopping public events, and attacks on weddings for playing microphones are basically threats by fundamentalist and militant groups against Bengali culture. They are launching cultural attacks through public declarations. They are trying to establish militancy in society by banning festivals or the use of microphones.