The home ministry has asked the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to blacklist Event Sajai and take legal action against the organiser over alleged permit violations, mismanagement and security lapses at Pakistani singer Atif Aslam's concert in Dhaka.
In a letter sent to the cultural affairs secretary on Jul 26, the ministry said the organiser had changed the venue without prior approval, violating the conditions attached to the event permit.
Deputy Secretary Israt Jahan, who signed the letter, confirmed the directive to bdnews24.com.
It was organised by an event management company called Main Stage.
Permission for the concert, however, had been obtained by Event Sajai, an affiliate of Main Stage.
The concert was initially scheduled to be held at Cricketers Academy on the 300 Feet Road.
A day before the event, Main Stage Chief Executive Kazi Rafsan told a news conference that the venue had been changed because rain had made it impossible to build the stage at the original location.
The home ministry said the last-minute change breached the permit conditions.
According to the letter, Event Sajai had been granted permission to hold the cultural programme at Cricketers Academy.
It said the organiser changed the venue “without prior approval, triggering widespread disorder, raising concerns over law and order and prompting a strong backlash from concertgoers”.
The ministry said “failure to comply with the venue conditions and poor event management left the foreign performers and crew facing security risks”.
It also said concertgoers took to social media to complain about inadequate facilities and a lack of safety, leading to widespread criticism and negative media coverage.
The ministry requested an investigation into Event Sajai and urged the cultural affairs ministry to blacklist the organisation and take strict legal action.
Copies of the directive were also sent to the director general of the National Security Intelligence (NSI), the additional inspector general of the Special Branch (SB), the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner and other senior officials.
bdnews24.com repeatedly called Main Stage Chief Executive Rafsan and Main Stage owner Nisha Salam, but neither responded.
Daniel, one of the organisers, told Glitz that Event Sajai was part of Main Stage and had served only as a strategic partner for the concert.
He said Main Stage had handled all aspects of the event.
Asked about the permit and related legal procedures, Daniel said those administrative matters had not been under their responsibility.
When asked whether he was aware of the ministry's directive to blacklist Event Sajai and pursue legal action, he said he was not.
He said Main Stage had managed the entire event and would be able to provide a clearer explanation.