Graffiti: Four Remanded in connection with Rabindranath Tagore graffiti defacement
Photo: Agamir Somoy
A court in Dhaka has granted police custody to remand four individuals, including Al-Nur Mohammad Ayas, president of Rashtra Sanglap Forum, in a sedition case filed over the defacement of a Rabindranath Tagore graffiti with whitewash and black paint.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Joshita Islam passed the order on Sunday following a hearing.
The court granted a three-day remand each for Ayas and Md. Sakibul Hasan, while Md. Sujon Mia and Khondokar Marjia Khondokar Rimi were placed on a two-day remand. The court also rejected the bail applications submitted for all four defendants.
The suspects were brought to court on Sunday, where the case's investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Abdul Gaffar Himel of Shahbagh Police Station, requested a 10-day remand for interrogation.
In the remand petition, the investigating officer cited that during initial questioning, the defendants strategically avoided explaining on whose orders, why, and with whose assistance they carried out the act. Remanding them into custody is necessary to uncover the underlying motives and ensure a thorough investigation, the petition said.
The petition added that interrogating the defendants is essential to identify and arrest others involved, gather full contact details of absconding suspects, pinpoint the instigators and financiers, and uncover the orchestrators behind the incident.
During the hearing, prosecution lawyer Omar Farooq Farooqui argued that by defacing the mural, the accused had taken a stand against the state. He alleged that they made provocative statements against the government and painted over Rabindranath Tagore's graffiti with the intent to disrupt communal harmony. He reiterated the need for a 10-day remand to uncover who else was involved behind the scenes.
Police Transport and Court Proceedings
Preparations to transport the defendants to court under police escort began around 4:00 PM. During transport, the suspects were fitted with helmets, bulletproof jackets, and handcuffs, though the female defendant, Rimi, was not handcuffed. They were then led on foot to the fourth floor of the court building. Ayas's helmet and bulletproof jacket were removed after he reported feeling unwell, and the remand hearing commenced at 4:48 PM.
Case Details and Background
According to the case details, following eviction drives targeting street vendors from footpaths by the Dhaka South City Corporation, vendors were cleared from the pavement adjacent to the Public Works Department boundary wall, located opposite the main gate of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha. Subsequently, various graffiti focusing on Bangladeshi art, culture, and literature were painted onto that boundary wall.
The complaint states that on October 9, Rashtra Sanglap Forum President Al-Nur Mohammad Ayas announced that he would whitewash and paint over the graffiti on the boundary wall. In accordance with that announcement, the defendants gathered at the scene.
The charges allege that during the gathering, Ayas delivered a speech referencing Jinnah's tomb and nameplate in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Marzia Khandaker Rimi spoke out against Indian aggression and accused Rabindranath Tagore of oppressing Muslims during his time as a landlord. According to the case filing, Rimi then applied black paint to Tagore's graffiti.
Additionally, the complaint accuses the group of attempting to incite religious animosity, disrupt religious sentiments, and provoke conflict regarding communal harmony ahead of the upcoming Sharadiya Durga Puja festival. Four suspects were arrested at the scene, while several unidentified individuals managed to flee. The police subsequently filed a sedition case against them at Shahbagh Police Station.
