Police Seek 10-Day Remand for Four in Rabindranath Tagore Portrait Case

Police have sought a 10-day remand for four people, including ANM Ayas, member secretary of the Rashtra Sanglap Forum, in a case over an alleged attempt to erase a wall portrait of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore outside Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha, Dhaka.

The other accused are Sakibul Hasan, 19, Sujon Mia, 18, and Marzia Khandaker Rimi, 27.

On Sunday, October 11, the investigation officer, Shahbagh Police Station Sub-Inspector Abdul Gaffar Himel, produced the accused before the court and submitted the remand petition. SI Shah Alam of the prosecution department said the hearing was scheduled to take place before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Joshita Islam in Dhaka.

The four accused are being held in the detention facility of the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. According to detention facility in-charge SI Morshed Alam, they are expected to be brought into the courtroom during the hearing.

Charges Filed in the Case
The case was filed on Saturday by Shahbagh Police Station Sub-Inspector Jiaul Haque. The accused face allegations including criminal conspiracy, creating enmity between groups and hurting religious sentiments.

Earlier on Saturday, a group of young people led by Ayas allegedly attempted to erase the wall portrait of Tagore outside Shilpakala Academy. Police intervened, and a verbal altercation followed. Ayas and three others were subsequently detained and taken to the police station.

A woman was reportedly seen applying ink to the portrait, prompting a police officer to intervene. The woman said the group had gathered to protest what she described as “Indian aggression.” The group also chanted slogans while police attempted to stop them.

Portraits of 10 Cultural Figures Painted on the Wall
On October 5, Dhaka South City Corporation cleared encroachments from the footpath in Segunbagicha. Portraits of 10 prominent figures from art, literature and culture were subsequently painted on a nearby wall. They included Rabindranath Tagore, national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, artist Zainul Abedin, filmmaker Satyajit Ray and educationist Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

On Friday, a Facebook page named “July Revolutionary Alliance” questioned the inclusion of the cultural figures, describing Satyajit Ray and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar as cultural figures from West Bengal.

The following day, a group led by Ayas reportedly attempted to erase the portraits. Police detained four people, and a case was subsequently filed in connection with the incident.

The remand request is pending a court hearing. The allegations against the accused have not been established by a final judicial verdict.