Overview
- Shiraz Ali Khan says he left Dhaka on December 19 after Chhayanaut was vandalised hours before his scheduled recital.
- He recounts concealing his nationality at checkpoints by speaking a Brahmanbaria dialect and having his driver hide his Indian passport and phone.
- Khan has returned to Kolkata, while his tabla player and other accompanying artistes remain stranded in Dhaka, and his mother is still in Bangladesh.
- He says he will not return until artists and cultural institutions are protected, calling the attack an assault on shared cultural values tied to his family’s lineage.
- In an interview with News18, he warned that conditions are unsafe for Indian nationals in Bangladesh and urged Indians to avoid travel until the situation improves.