Bangladesh army called in for crowd control at Jal concert in Dhaka

Jal marked its much-awaited return to Bangladesh after 14 years with its Legends of the Decade concert in Dhaka on Saturday but the event, hoped to be a triumphant moment for the band, was marred by an unruly crowd and managerial issues. The Bangladesh army was eventually called in to intervene and the band had to stop their performance midway.

Hundreds of fans arrived at the venue at Jamuna Future Park — a shopping mall in the capital. A temporary roof above the north court was removed, according to The Business Standard, adding to the chaos. Fans were crammed in every corner, even taking over the elevators.

The event also celebrated two decades since the release of Jal’s debut album Aadat, a record that changed the landscape of South Asian pop-rock. But the night wasn’t just about Jal. It also marked the comeback of Aurthohin, one of Bangladesh’s most beloved bands, to the stage after a year-long hiatus.

The Legends of the Decade concert was originally slated to take place on September 27. It was postponed due to heavy rain hours before the event was supposed to be held, and then moved to a different venue altogether, per The Daily Star.

Finally, on Saturday, when it did take place, hundreds of people stormed in due to the lack of proper security, resulting in the event becoming “mired in chaotic disarray”, the Bangladeshi publication stated in its report.

“They brought an international band to a mall to perform,” Sakib, who had attended the concert with high hopes, told the outlet. “It was a total joke. Organisers started taking selfies with the band mid-show, while Jal had to ask 20 times for a light to be turned off.”

“I was shopping at JFP when I stumbled across the concert from the balcony,” Saadh, who works at a private bank in Dhaka, was quoted as saying. “I just stood there and enjoyed a better view than people who paid Tk 3,000.”

During the concert, there were multiple skirmishes reported between organisers and people who had tried and succeeded in entering forcefully, before the mall authorities had to call in the army.

“Throughout the first half of the concert, drinking water wasn’t provided to the bands, and I saw Conclusion rather irate because of it. It was hell in there,” The Daily Star photojournalist Thabit Al Bashar shared.

The coup de grâce was when Jal had to be stopped mid-act during their final set for an absurdly abrupt ending to the concert, leaving people furious.

Videos from the event have surfaced online, showing fans gathering around the venue, providing an idea of the trouble faced by attendees who had paid to be there. However, Jal lead Goher Mumtaz has defended the concert organisers in his statement thanking fans in Bangladesh, as well as the Bangladeshi army for taking swift action.

Taking to his Instagram stories on Sunday, Mumtaz wrote, “Dear fans of Bangladesh! Thank you for this overwhelming response and all your love. For your safety and to avoid the possibility of a stampede, I had to leave the stage.”

“Over 10,000 crowd wouldn’t have been easier for local security to handle. So that’s why the army and government took over,” he added. “The immediate outdoor venue shift was also a challenge for organisers due to excessive rain. I want to thank Bangladesh’s government and its army for taking care of the situation. I respect and adore you guys and know that some of you travelled from different cities to see the show but for me, your lives are much more important than anything. Until next time. Love you all,” he wrote.

According to The Business Standard review of the event, organisers kept telling the crowd that the concert was far from what they had planned. “Visitors made their way into the venue after getting pushed around, only to be met with a hall packed with people, wall to wall,” it stated. “There was no way to see the stage. Rather, people were sadly huddled around a lone screen that displayed the performance.”

Cover photos: The Daily Star