Case filed over shaving of fakir’s hair in M’singh

A case was filed yesterday over the incident of forcibly shaving the hair of 70-year-old Halim Uddin Akand in Kodalia Kashiganj village of Mymensingh's Tarakanda upazila.

Halim's son Md Shahid Akand lodged the case with Tarakanda Police Station, accusing five to six people involved in the incident, said Md Tipu Sultan, officer-in-charge of the police station.

However, the OC did not disclose the names of the accused for "the sake of the investigation".

A viral video of the incident has triggered nationwide outrage and condemnation.

The video, widely shared on social media, shows Halim walking down a road when three men in grey vests chase him, drag him aside, and pin him down. As he struggles and cries out "Allah, Tui Dehis!" (O Allah, You are witness!), they shave off his hair.

The incident happened just before Eid-ul-Azha this year, said Rezaul Karim Aslam, general secretary of the Mymensingh Baul Association. 

Halim had been keeping his matted hair for 37 years. Once a farmer, he now leads a quiet spiritual life.

The perpetrators came to Kashiganj Bazar from Dhaka that morning after receiving a tip that "a madman was roaming the market".

"They chased Halim for a long time before capturing him and cutting his hair, ignoring locals who tried to intervene," said Aslam.