In Khulna, Bangladesh, a photo of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore was smeared with black ink and posters were put up next to it, denying his contribution to the country’s cultural heritage. These posters clearly stated that Tagore, who was an enemy of Muslims and East Bengal, had no place in Bangladesh. The incident has been criticized by local officials and cultural activists, while police have launched an investigation. The incident in Khulna comes a few weeks after the Tagore Wall in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka was targeted in October.
Let us tell you that this wall painting made on the boundary wall of Khulna railway station was one of the pictures of many well-known figures of art, literature and cultural history of that area.
However, the portraits of other celebrities were kept intact on the same wall. These include portraits of folk singer Fakir Lalan Shah, painter SM Sultan, poet Qazi Nazrul Islam, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, former President Ziaur Rahman and writer Michael Madhusudan Dutta. There are also paintings on the wall depicting the July uprising, the Sundarbans, the Sixty Domed Mosque and the jute industry of Bangladesh. The Khulna City Corporation (KCC) created the artwork ahead of Prime Minister Tariq Rehman’s visit to the city.
Posters against Tagore
Two posters were also mounted near the painting on the wall, one of which was upright Tagore And a message was written targeting his connection with India. The poster read, “Tagore has no place in Titumir’s Bengal, who was the enemy of Muslims and East Bengal. No place to make India proud.”
The message objected to honoring Tagore in Bangladesh, calling him an enemy of Muslims and East Bengal, while objecting to honoring India.
The police started an investigation
Khulna Sadar police station in-charge Lokman Hussain said the police received information about the defacement of the painting on Friday afternoon and started an investigation. “All the shops on the road were closed on Friday, making it difficult to trace who defaced the painting and when,” the Dhaka Tribune quoted Hussain as saying.
KCC administrator Nazrul Islam Manju condemned the act, saying the pictures were aimed at promoting independent thinking among children and teenagers. The newspaper quoted him as saying, “By spoiling the picture, he has shown his small mindedness and sick thinking.
Cultural activist and general secretary of Natyalok Shariful Islam Salim suspects that an organized group is behind the incident. He said a similar crackdown had taken place in Dhaka and warned that other well-known figures could also be targeted.
Accused of molestation on Hindu woman
The Daily Star quoted him as saying, “They have committed similar acts in Dhaka as well. These incidents are being done deliberately. Those responsible should be identified and punished. This cannot stop at Rabindranath; they can target other well-known personalities as well.”
Salim further said that Tagore’s writings and thinking have given generations the courage to embrace independent thought, secularism and human dignity. The incident in Khulna comes a few weeks after the Tagore Wall in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka was targeted in October. The Daily Star reported that police have detained four people in connection with the incident, including State Dialogue Forum Member Secretary Al Noor Mohammad Ayesh.
On the other hand, once again a Hindu woman has been brutally attacked and tortured in Bangladesh. A woman named Rita Rani has been accused of cruelty and inhumane torture in the center of the country’s capital, Dhaka. According to allegations, a group of people led by Maha Feroze, the Mirpur area coordinator of the ruling BNP-backed ‘Sevak Dal’, barged into his house and assaulted him.
