Bangladeshi Social Media Star 'Hero' Alom Hauled Up By Police Over 'Tuneless' Rendition Of Classical Songs
Alom said that he was "mentally tortured" last week by police who asked him to stop performing classical songs and that he was too ugly to be a singer.
New Delhi: Bangladeshi singer "Hero" Alom, who has a huge following on the internet, was hauled by the police and asked to stop his ‘out-of-tune’ renditions, sparking a furore on the social media, news agency AFP reported.
"Hero" Alom, has garnered about two million Facebook followers and almost 1.5 million on YouTube, with his unique crooning style.
While, he has garnered 17 million views for his "Arabian Song", he has also drawn critics' scorn, particularly for his versions of classic songs of two national treasures -- Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Bangladesh's national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.
VIDEO: 🇧🇩 An out-of-tune Bangladeshi singer with a huge internet following has been hauled in by police at dawn and told to cease his renditions of classical songs, sparking a furore on social media #HeroAlom pic.twitter.com/qfXYASaBkq
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 5, 2022
Speaking to AFP on Wednesday, Alom said that he was "mentally tortured" last week by police who asked him to stop performing classical songs and that he was too ugly to be a singer. Police also made him sign an "apology" bond.
"The police picked me up at 6 am and kept me there for eight hours. They asked me why I sing Rabindra and Nazrul songs," AFP quoted him as saying.
Dhaka's chief detective Harun ur Rashid said that Alom had apologised for singing the songs and wearing police uniforms without their permission.
"We received many complaints against him," Harun said, adding, "(He) totally changed the (traditional) style (of singing)... He assured us that he won't repeat this."
However, Farook Hossain, deputy police commissioner of Dhaka, refuted Alom’s claims that he had also been pressed to change his name.
"He is making these comments just to go viral in social media," he said.
Meanwhile, following his ordeal, Alam released a new video depicting himself behind bars in a prison outfit, warbling mournfully that he is about to be hanged.
Notably, Alom's treatment has sparked outrage on social media, with activists calling it an attack on individual rights.
"I am not a fan of your songs or your acting. But if there is an attempt to muzzle your voice, I stand up against it," journalist Aditya Arafat posted.
"Don't be broken. You are a hero. No matter what others say, you are a real hero," Sanjida Khatun Rakhi wrote on Alom's Facebook page.
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