Last Updated on October 10, 2026 9:25 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Four people, including Rashtra Sanglap Forum leader ANM Ayas, were detained in Bangladesh’s capital on Saturday (October 10) for allegedly attempting to deface a mural of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore outside the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha.
The incident took place just five days after Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) cleared encroachments from a footpath and decorated an adjoining wall with portraits of 10 prominent personalities from Bengali literature, art and culture.
Shahbag Police Station sub-inspector Abdul Khalek initially confirmed Ayas’s detention, saying he had been taken to the police station after allegedly attempting to erase Tagore’s portrait.
Police reportedly intervened when black or white paint was being applied to the portraits.
Initial reports differed over the number of detainees. The Daily Campus reported that three people, including Ayas, had been detained, while other outlets initially confirmed only his detention. Prothom Alo subsequently reported that four people, including a woman, were detained and taken to the Detective Branch for questioning.
Reports also differed over Ayas’s position in Rashtra Sanglap Forum. The Daily Campus identified him as its president, while several other outlets described him as member secretary.
The incident follows criticism over the selection of personalities featured in the murals, particularly the inclusion of cultural figures from West Bengal and the absence of women.
On October 5, DSCC reopened the Segunbagicha footpath after removing makeshift shops and other encroachments.
As part of the beautification project, portraits of 10 cultural personalities were painted on a roadside wall near Shilpakala Academy.
They include Rabindranath Tagore, Bangladesh’s national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, artist Zainul Abedin, filmmaker Satyajit Ray, social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, mystic poet Fakir Lalon Shah, artist SM Sultan, filmmaker Zahir Raihan, folk singer Shah Abdul Karim and actor Humayun Faridi.
The renovation also included new dustbins, pedestrian benches and repairs to the boundary wall. The renovated stretch was subsequently reopened for pedestrians.
Tagore wrote the national anthems of India and Bangladesh.
It was not immediately clear whether police had registered a formal case or what further legal action would follow.