That was a canary cops didn’t want to sing.
Bangladesh police forced a quirky singer to sign an apology, told him he was “too ugly to sing” and urged him to stop his lopsided performances of classical songs, reports say.
“Hero” Alom claimed he was picked up at 6am last Thursday and held at police headquarters for eight hours, AFP reported – and described the social media star as a “disgruntled” singer.
“Everyone kept throwing questions at me and I kept turning around,” Alom told India Today. “Then suddenly someone grabbed my hair and asked if I had a face that looked like a hero.”
According to AFP, authorities were allegedly focused on the ailing crooner’s interpretations of songs by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Cops told the news outlet that they had received “a lot of complaints” about Alom’s singing and that he apologized for the songs and wearing police uniforms in his videos.
“(He) completely changed the (traditional) style (of singing),” said Dhaka detective Harun ur Rashid, according to AFP. “He has assured us that he will not do this again.”
“Hero” Alom was forced by cops to sign an apology, saying he was “too ugly to sing.” RMG
According to the news outlet, the police denied trying to pressure the singer to change his name.
Alom, who has nearly 2 million Facebook followers, has posted a new music video following his alleged ordeal, which shows him behind bars and close to execution, reports say.
“This is an independent Bangladesh. If I can’t speak, sing or engage in recreational activities then I feel my rights will be taken away,” the singer told India Today.
Alom reportedly ran for office in 2018 and received 638 votes.