DHAKA: At least 20 students were injured in a mob attack in Bangladesh that forced the cancellation of a concert by popular rock singer James, who has also sung several hit Hindi film songs, officials and organisers have said.
The incident occurred on Friday night in Faridpur, amid a recent spate of attacks on cultural institutions in the country.
In recent weeks, organisations such as Chhayanaut and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi in Dhaka have been vandalised.
James' concert was to mark the closing of Faridpur Zilla School's 185th anniversary celebrations.
The programme was to be held late at night on a temporary stage set up within the school premises, news portal tbsnews.net reported.
However, just before the programme was due to begin, a group of outsiders tried to force entry after being turned away, throwing bricks and stones and attempting to seize the stage.
Students of the school resisted the attackers, and at least 20 were injured by flying debris, according to the organisers.
However, Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Azmir Hossain said the exact number of casualties was yet to be confirmed.
"The number of injured in the attack is not yet known. We are trying to gather detailed information," he was quoted as saying by the news portal.
In the wake of the volatile situation, organising committee convener Mustafizur Rahman Shamim cancelled the show on the orders of the Faridpur district administration, The Daily Star newspaper reported.
James, the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Bangladeshi rock band Nagar Baul, has sung in several hit Bollywood films, including Gangster, Woh Lamhe, and Life in a... Metro.
Rajibul Hasan Khan, convener of the programme's publicity and media sub-committee, said the reasons behind the attack remained unclear.
"We could not understand why and who carried out the attack on James' concert. Considering the overall situation, we were compelled to cancel the programme following instructions from the district administration," he said.