Popular theatre troupe Prangonemor was all set to stage their acclaimed adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's "Shesher Kobita", with a fresh perspective, as part of the upcoming Chaitra Sankranti and Pahela Baishakh celebrations.

However, at 10am today, the troupe received a call from Mohila Samity, informing them that a letter had arrived from a group of individuals identifying as "Towhidi Janata" (pious people), demanding that the show be cancelled.

While this is not the first time theatre performances have been disrupted by such threats, Prangonemor initially planned to stage a protest in front of Mohila Samity at 5:30am today. However, they later cancelled the protest after being assured of full protection by the police.

Speaking to The Daily Star, director and artiste Nuna Afroz confirmed that although the show scheduled for today was cancelled, both the police and Mohila Samity assured them that performances could continue as planned.

Photo: Collected

"When they informed me about the letter from Towhidi Janata, I asked why they were calling me instead of the police," said Nuna. "We told them to seek help from the authorities. If they're unable to ensure safety, only then would we consider cancelling. We even requested to see the letter, but as of now, I still haven't received it."

"We've rented the hall at Mohila Samity for two days. All promotional expenses have already been made. We were shocked when we heard the news," she added.

In response to the incident, Nuna Afroz took to Facebook to voice her concern, penning an open letter to Cultural Adviser Mostafa Sarwar Farooki. Her post drew widespread support, with netizens expressing outrage over the disruption.

At 3pm, police officials contacted Nuna and assured her that all necessary safety measures would be taken. Mohila Samity also reached out to confirm that the show could proceed.

Despite the assurances, Nuna explained that due to time constraints, they chose not to stage the performance today.

"It takes considerable time to prepare the stage. Had we received confirmation even by 1pm, we could have gone ahead. But with limited time, we had to cancel today's show," she said.

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"However, we'll be present at Mohila Samity from 5pm to 7pm. We didn't want audience members—especially those who missed our social media update—to arrive and find an empty stage. We want to make sure they know the performance is rescheduled for tomorrow at 7pm at the Dr Nilima Ibrahim Auditorium of Mohila Samity," Nuna concluded.