A police officer in Kushtia Sadar upazila, Bangladesh, instructed a tea stall owner to cease playing carrom and watching television during Ramadan, despite no prior directive from senior authorities. The incident occurred at Patikabari Bazar area during a visit by Kushtia-3 Jamaat-e-Islami MP Amir Hamza and Moshiul Azam, the in charge of Patikabari Police Camp. A video of the incident on February 20, widely shared on social media, shows Moshiul Azam prohibiting carrom and TV during Ramadan.
Reports indicate that on the following night, most shops in the market, including the tea stall, were closed, with a few partially open for business. Another tea stall owned by Ramzan remained open but refrained from playing carrom games. When questioned about the police warning on television viewing, Ramzan mentioned that only a few customers watched TV briefly.
Ward council member Kashem of Patikabari union expressed that abrupt closures were inappropriate, emphasizing the need for recreational activities for young people. However, Officer-in-Charge Masud Rana of Islamic University Police Station clarified that no such instructions were issued to subordinates. Superintendent of Police Jasim Uddin of Kushtia confirmed that the incident did not stem from any official police order, emphasizing that the decision to keep tea stalls open during fasting was based on people’s sentiments.
