The authorities concerned seems to have turned a blind eye to illegal Shisha bars mushrooming in the capital city of Dhaka, attracting people of different ages to consuming the harmful drug.
Sources say that Shisha bars have been established in different posh areas with the support of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) and police.
Instead of taking legal measures, some influential people are setting up Shisha bars in the city with help of a section of DNC members and police.
Despite Shisha being categorised as a drug under the Narcotics Control Act since 2018, with the DNC’s chemical lab confirming high levels of nicotine in the shisha sold in these lounges, no significant action has been taken. According to the law, any substance containing more than 0.2 per cent nicotine, when mixed with herbal extracts and fruits, is considered a controlled substance under this category.
Insiders say that more than hundred Shisha bars have been set up in posh areas of the capital and the owners, maintaining influential politicians, run those entities till late night defying the law.
Many say that former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was one of the top politicians who had extended support in setting up illegal Shisha bars.
Kamal was elected lawmaker from Dhaka-11 constituency with an Awami League ticket and became the state minister for home affairs in 2014. He was elevated to the post of the home minister next year.
It is alleged that Kamal collected significant amount of money from bars and shisha lounges. Some licenses were issued under the names of his family members.
Even, Kamal brought an amendment to the DNC law, incorporating a provision so that the concerned minister could issue such licenses directly instead of the DNC director general.
Some bar owners say that they gave a huge amount of money, ranging from Tk 2 crore to Tk 10 crore, to the former home minister for setting up a bar.
According to DNC rules, anyone can set up an alcohol bar in the capital by giving a fee of Tk 50,000.
But, the fact was that the former home minister used to take Tk 2 crore to 10 crore for setting up such bars.
After taking the license for alcohol bar, the owners sell Shisha along with the alcohol.
Some bar owners allege that they also pay toll to the police and DNC officials for running their businesses smoothly.
An investigation carried out by the Bangladesh Post has uncovered that each owner of such bar has to pay between Tk 2 to Tk 3 lakh to DNC and police in every month.
In Banani, some 22 shisha bars, including Signature, Silver Lounge, Arabian Cozy Restaurant, and Café Celebrita, are being operated openly despite having illegal status.
Gulshan is also a home to another six bars, such as Montana Lounge, Downtown, and Courtyard Bazaar while Dhanmondi hosting 10 bars and Uttara having 12, including well-known establishments like Hungry Eye -1 and Hungry Eye -2.
Sources say that DNC inspector Sumonur Rahman used to collect the toll from the bars. He later distributed the amount among others of the DNC.
While concerned police stations used to collect toll on a regular basis. The Office-in-charge (Investigation) used to take the fee and distributed among some members of police.
Despite repeated attempts to reach Inspector Sumon for his alleged connection, he could not be reached for comments.
Although he saw whatsapp messages, but did not make any response.
Asked about the allegation of collecting extortion by the policemen from illegal bars, Banani police station OC Mustafizur Rahman told the Bangladesh Post that he is not aware of such allegation.
“As such allegation has been raised, we will look into the allegation,” he said.
In a recent undercover investigation, a reporter from the Bangladesh Post visited 10 of these shisha bars in Gulshan and Banani.
One of the establishments, Amari Dhaka Shisha Bar in Gulshan 2, reportedly has a DJ room enclosed by Thai glass and offers illegal drug items, including shisha.
Some customers say that they get shisha mixed with drugs such as cannabis, yaba, and heroin for an additional fee at Amari.
The bar serves alcohol and shisha throughout the night, often hosting illicit activities behind closed doors. Many customers spent time with call girls there.
Both the DNC and police claim they will act only if formal complaints are lodged.
Deputy Director of the DNC, Shamim Ahmed, confirmed that no organisation in Bangladesh is legally permitted to operate shisha bars, deeming all current operations illegal.
Director General of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), Khondoker Mostafizur Rahman clarified that shisha, a popular recreational product, falls under 'Category B' of the Narcotics Control Act, classifying it as a drug.
Rahman emphasised that the DNC will take necessary actions once sufficient evidence is obtained.
In response to this growing problem, Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Zulfikar Ali recently sent a legal notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs and law enforcement agencies, demanding the immediate closure of unauthorized bars in Gulshan and Banani.
He cited the law that categorises shisha as a drug, making its sale and consumption illegal with potential punishments of up to 10 years imprisonment.
