Tuneless Bangladeshi social media star grilled by police for singing Tagore | World News

An out-of-tune Bangladeshi singer with an enormous web following was hauled in by police at daybreak and informed to stop his painful renditions of classical songs, sparking a furore on social media.

"Hero" Alom, as he kinds himself, has amassed almost two million Fb followers and virtually 1.5 million on YouTube along with his distinctive crooning fashion and arresting, raunchy movies.

Considered one of his numbers, "Arabian Music", by which he seems in conventional Arab clothes on a sand dune with camels superimposed within the background, has garnered 17 million views.

However he has additionally drawn critics' scorn, notably for variations of traditional songs of two beloved nationwide treasures -- Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Bangladesh's nationwide poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

On Wednesday Alom informed AFP that he was "mentally tortured" final week by police who informed him to cease performing classical songs, that he was too ugly to be a singer, and to signal an "apology" bond.

"The police picked me up at 6 am and saved me there for eight hours. They requested me why I sing Rabindra and Nazrul songs," he stated.

Dhaka's chief detective Harun ur Rashid informed reporters that Alom had apologised for singing the cherished songs and for sporting police uniforms with out permission in his movies.

"We obtained many complaints in opposition to him," Harun stated.

"(He) completely modified the (conventional) fashion (of singing)... He assured us that he will not repeat this," Harun added.

Farook Hossain, deputy police commissioner of Dhaka, rejected claims by Alom, 37, that he had additionally been pressed to alter his title.

"He's making these feedback simply to go viral in social media," he informed AFP.

Following his ordeal, Alam launched a brand new video depicting himself behind bars in a jail outfit, warbling mournfully that he's about to be hanged.

Alom's therapy triggered outrage on social media, with commentators and activists calling it an assault on particular person rights -- even when his singing grates.

"I'm not a fan of your songs or your appearing. But when there may be an try to muzzle your voice, I rise up in opposition to it," journalist Aditya Arafat posted.

"Do not be damaged. You're a hero. It doesn't matter what others say, you're a actual hero," Sanjida Khatun Rakhi wrote on Alom's Fb web page.

Alom says he has acted in a number of movies and in addition participated in Bangladesh's parliamentary election in 2018 as an unbiased candidate -- garnering 638 votes.

He informed AFP at his Dhaka studio that he began utilizing the moniker "Hero" after changing into standard in his dwelling district of Bogra, 150 kilometres (95 miles) north of Dhaka.

"I felt like I'm a hero. So I took the title Hero Alom. I will not drop this title it doesn't matter what," he stated.

"At current, it appears you possibly can't even sing with freedom in Bangladesh."