Rahul Ananda and family flee the attack
Rahul Ananda, a popular Bangladeshi folk singer, had his apartment in Dhaka, a cultural hub, vandalized, robbed, and burnt as attacks on Hindu minorities escalated amid violent student protests in the country. According to The Daily Star, the singer, a cultural activist, fled the attack with his wife and teenage son.
Rahul Ananda, the frontman of popular folk band ‘Joler Gaan’, was frequently visited by the music fraternity for various events throughout the year. When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Dhaka in September 2023, Ananda’s 140-year-old home was one of his stops.
Ananda is one of the founding members of ‘Joler Gaan’
One of the founding members of ‘Joler Gaan’, Saiful Ismal Jarnal, informed The Daily Star that Rahul Ananda and his family were shaken and sought safety in a secret location. The landmark house was rented and did not belong to the folk musician, Jarnal explained.
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According to The Daily Star, the folk musician had a vast collection of over 3,000 musical instruments that he had developed and built over the years.
The intruders broke into the house through the main gate and began ransacking it, grabbing whatever they could find. Then they set fire to the entire house, including Rahul Ananda’s musical equipment, according to a close family source.
Surge in attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh
Attacks against Hindu minority have intensified after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the nation, which has been plagued by instability. She is currently hiding in a secret location in India, having arrived at the Hindon airfield near New Delhi on Monday.
Joler Gaan shared a song on their official Facebook page, calling for “love, peace, and solidarity.” A lengthy description in Bengali indicated that it was the last song recorded in the house, which served as both a melting pot for numerous creative individuals and the band’s recording studio.
