Long hair and flowing beards have long carried deep symbolic meaning for Bangladesh’s Fakirs and Bauls, spiritual wanderers. Music and their way of life are rooted in centuries of Sufi tradition.
But a recent viral video has shaken this cultural memory, showing how intolerance and extremism can strip away not just hair, but dignity itself. It’s an act, which strips the man of a key symbol of his spiritual identity.
In the video, we see a man, walking carelessly down the streets oblivious of what might happen to him in a few minutes. Suddenly, several men dressed in white panjabis and turbans are seen grabbing him and taking him to a corner with the intent of shaving his hair off.
According to them, they were going through the purification process. The man desperately tries to free himself and makes pleas but none of the bystanders take any action. Eventually, the man is forced to sit on the ground while one of the men use a trimmer to shave his head clean. All he could do is helplessly bear the torture.
The exact location of the incident remains unknown as of writing this report.
Social media uproar
As of Thursday afternoon, the video had been shared more than 3,500 times, with over 1,000 comments strongly condemning the actions of the panjabi-clad men.
Journalist Arifuzzaman Tuhin shared the video on social media, adding a brief note that reads, “Who will you seek justice from? I’ve endured tear gas and police baton charges during an armed revolution. I used to think I was very brave. However, I could not bring myself together to watch this entire video. Watching an elderly man being stripped off his dignity, forced to shave his head was unbearable to me. The men then invited him to pray with them. No one has the authority to decide who goes to heaven or hell, but we have taken this responsibility on ourselves. ‘I am shavinghis hair to make him a Muslim.’” Has he given you permission to do that? This disgrace, this torture of the elderly man, was truly agonising.”
In the comment section of this video, one wrote, “These fake religious leaders, instead of praying, what kind of hypocrisy are they engaging in? How do they find so much time to be involved in such acts instead of praying?”
Another user wrote, “The country has turned into another Pakistan… oppression in the name of religion everywhere.”
Professor Kaberi Gayen from the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University shared a screenshot from the video on social media, and wrote, “I am deeply ashamed. I am terrified. Cutting a person’s hair like this is not just about religious extremism, it’s also about power. It’s a class issue. Let this extremism stop. How much longer will we have to witness this?”
Director-General of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) Farooq Wasif expressed his protest through a poem.
Writer and activist Firoz Ahmed wrote, “I must say that these acts of violence are not something new. They’ve always existed. However, after 5 August, 2024, I have been increasingly worried about mob violence. I can clearly see that a certain political ideology is using the name of Islam to further their political agenda.”
Concerns raised
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has expressed grave concern over the incident, condemning the act as “inhumane, illegal and a blatant violation of the Constitution and fundamental human rights.”
In a press statement issued on Thursday, ASK highlighted that the act violated multiple constitutional provisions, including Article 31, Article 32 and Article 35.
They stressed that the forced haircut was not only an attack on the victim’s personal freedom but also a direct assault on their dignity, warning that such incidents contribute to a climate of fear, insecurity, and lawlessness in society.
The viral video is a clear demonstration of a vicious exercise of power more than it being about faith. This act of imposed orthodoxy, masked as religiousness, has ignited a necessary fire of public outrage. This incident exposes an innate sickness of extremism and class-based violence that should be contained by government at the earliest.
