Police officer orders ‘no carrom, no TV’ at Kushtia market during Ramadan

Published : Sunday, 22 February, 2026 at 3:53 PM Count : 108

“No carrom, no TV — that’s final during Ramadan,” a police officer was heard saying while instructing a tea stall owner at Patikabari Bazar in Kushtia Sadar upazila.

A video recorded on Friday night spread widely on social media shows Moshiul Azam, in-charge of the Patikabari Camp under Islamic University Police Station, angrily pointing his finger at the tea stall owner, Ramzan, at a market while issuing the warning.

Moshiul Azam was accompanied by Kushtia-3 (Sadar) lawmaker Mufti Amir Hamza that time.

“They are playing carrom there. Didn’t I shut it down? Why is it running? Shall I have you beaten? Didn’t I call the market committee the other day and say that for one month during Taraweeh, no carrom, no TV will run? Why is it running?” the police officer says.

He then moves toward the carrom board.

At that moment, MP Amir Hamza, standing beside him, is heard speaking in a comparatively softer tone: “It is the month of Ramadan, a month of worship. Whatever you do, at least do not do these during prayer times.”

The following night, around 8:00pm last (Saturday) night, a visit to the market found most shops closed. Some establishments were open with shutters half-down while work continued inside. At the far end of the market, Ramzan’s tea stall remained open. The television was on, but no one was playing carrom.

When reminded of the police warning about television use, Ramzan lowered his head and said, “Only a few people sit here. They just watch TV a bit.”

A ward council member of Patikabari union, Kashem, who arrived at the stall at the time, said it was not right to shut everything down suddenly, as young people need some recreation. “Even our chairman-members too sometimes come to play,” he said before adding, “but playing for money or cigarettes is not good,” he added.

Several locals said officer Moshiul occasionally delivers sermons at mosques as well.

When contacted, Moshiul said the move was “a gesture of respect towards Islam,” claiming no action had been taken against anyone.

He also said he spoke under higher instructions. “We speak based on orders from above. Do we say anything on our own?”

However, Officer-in-Charge Masud Rana of Islamic University Police Station said no such directive had been issued to subordinates.

Superintendent of Police in Kushtia, Jasim Uddin, also said this was not an official police order.

“Whether tea stalls remain open during fasting is not a matter of law. It is a matter of people’s sentiments — whether they follow it or not. We cannot punish anyone for that,” he said.

FP/MI