‘No artiste should face such treatment’: Ark’s Hasan

Bangladeshi rock singer Hasan, lead vocalist of the popular band Ark, has spoken out after a bottle was thrown at him while he was performing at a concert in Dhaka, saying no artiste should have to face such treatment on stage.

The incident took place on August 5 at Manik Mia Avenue during the “Songs of the Monsoon Revolution” concert, organised to mark July Mass Uprising Day. The unexpected act drew criticism on social media and prompted concern among people involved in Bangladesh’s music and entertainment industry.

Hasan said the incident came as a complete surprise and was unlike anything he had experienced during his long career in Bangla band music. In a social media post after returning to Dhaka from Rajshahi, he reflected on the incident and urged audiences to approach artistes with greater understanding and respect.

“The incident was completely unexpected for me. In my long musical career, I have never faced such an experience,” Hasan said.

The veteran vocalist said his career had exposed him to a wide range of experiences, but he had never imagined that an audience member would throw a bottle at an artiste while they were performing on stage.

Rather than responding with anger, Hasan said he preferred to believe that the person responsible might not have fully understood the consequences of the act. His remarks appeared to emphasise forgiveness while also drawing attention to the need for safer and more respectful concert environments.

Hasan also urged audiences not to judge artistes through the prism of politics. Artistes, he said, perform for people from different backgrounds and should not be treated differently because of their perceived political affiliations or past appearances.

His broader concern was that an artiste’s professional identity should not be reduced to a particular political period. Artistes may perform at government, private and political programmes at different stages of their careers, he noted, and such appearances should not automatically define their political identity.

“An artiste is not an artiste for five or 10 years; they remain an artiste for a lifetime,” Hasan said.

He stressed that artistes give their performances to audiences in return for appreciation and affection, not hostility or disrespect. Ensuring their safety, he added, should be a shared responsibility between event organisers, security personnel and concertgoers.

Despite the incident, Hasan continued with his professional commitments. Ark performed at a concert at Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology on August 6, just one day after the Dhaka incident.

The episode has also renewed discussion about audience behaviour at public concerts, where artistes depend on a safe environment to perform and audiences expect an enjoyable live experience. Hasan’s response has focused less on retaliation and more on ensuring that similar incidents do not occur again.