Last week, a mere four days after Pohela Boishak (celebrated on April 14), around 10 signs banning women from entering the grounds of the Shahi Eidgah in Sylhet popped up.
The Eidgah committee claims to have no ties to the signs, while taking absolutely no steps to take them down either.
One of the major reasons behind the controversy is that local women frequently take walks inside the Eidgah grounds. The impromptu ban has sparked concerns from neighbourhood residents and vocal backlash on social media.
Jahir Bakht, the mutwali (trustee) of the Eidgah, said the signs were not authorized by the Eidgah committee.
He said: “According to the law and Sharia, nobody can prevent women from entering the Eidgah. It is preposterous. Several women have already asked me about it and I have assured them they can walk freely.”
Jahir also said Sylhet city Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury, who is also part of the Eidgah committee, is in the dark about the ban. But he asserted that he would speak to the mayor to discuss further courses of action.
Overenthusiastic zealots?
According to Abdus Salam, one of the Eidgah staff, a number of young men from Hazaribag nearby came to the Eidgah four days after Pohela Boishakh and put up the signs.
“It all started after Pohela Boishakh, you see. The Eidgah is a public space and a lot, I mean a lot of visitors were here. The photos of the celebrations apparently offended some people to the extent of making dubious remarks on Facebook and then getting involved much more physically,” he said.
Three of the signs hang near the minaret, while the other seven are spread throughout the Eidgah grounds.
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Salam also said students often ditch school to hang out with their friends in the Eidgah grounds. There have also been allegations of public displays of affection, which may have spurred the enthusiastic youths to put up the signs, Salam hinted.
He said the signs have helped cut down the number of truants, and noted that women who come for walks are not harassed.
Several local students alleged that the ban was abysmal given that there are many cases of men consuming drugs and liquor inside the Eidgah grounds.
One of the students, refusing to be named, said: “Isn’t doing drugs illegal in Islam? The ban is discriminating women.”A historic site
The Eidgah, built in the early 1700s by Mughal Fouzdar Farhad Kha, has seen many anti-colonial protests.
The Indian subcontinent’s biggest leaders in the 20th Century – Mahatma Gandhi, Sher-E-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, and Mohammad Ali Jinnah held rallies at the Eidgah.
The Shahi Eidgah Mosque is to the north of the Eidgah and the shrine of Hazrat Mirarzi is to the east.
With a capacity of over 100,000 people, it is one of the largest public spaces in Sylhet.
