Rabindranath Tagore's mural defaced in Bangladesh

DHAKA: A mural of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore has been defaced with black ink by unidentified persons in Bangladesh's Khulna, drawing criticism, local media reported on Saturday.

Tagore's mural was painted on the boundary wall of Khulna Railway Station alongside portraits of other prominent figures who contributed to the region's art, literature and culture, The Daily Star reported.

Murals of Fakir Lalon Shah, painter SM Sultan, Kazi Nazrul Islam, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, former president Ziaur Rahman and Michael Madhusudan Dutta were also painted on the same wall but remained untouched.

The wall also features murals depicting the July uprising, the Sundarbans, the Sixty Dome Mosque and the jute industry.

Khulna City Corporation (KCC) commissioned the artwork ahead of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to Khulna.

Locals noticed the damage to Tagore's mural on Friday morning.

Khulna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Lokman Hossain said police learnt about the incident on Friday afternoon and launched an investigation.

"All businesses across the road were closed on Friday, making it difficult to determine who defaced the mural and when," The Dhaka Tribune quoted Hossain as saying.

Two posters were also put up beside the mural, with one saying: "There is no place for Tagore, who was hostile to Muslims and East Bengal, in Titumir's Bengal. There is no place for glorifying India."

KCC Administrator Nazrul Islam Manju expressed outrage over the incident, saying the portraits would help foster free thinking among children and adolescents, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

"By defacing the portrait, they have exposed their narrow-mindedness and sick mentality," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Shariful Islam Salim, a cultural activist and general secretary of Nattyalok, said he believed the incident was the handiwork of an organised group.

"They have carried out similar acts in Dhaka as well. These incidents are being orchestrated deliberately. Those responsible must be identified and brought to justice. This may not stop with Rabindranath; they could target other eminent personalities too," the Daily Star quoted him as saying.

He said Tagore's literature and philosophy had inspired generations to embrace free thought, secularism and human dignity.

Tagore's mural was also defaced in Dhaka in October. Police detained four people in connection with the incident, including Al Nur Mohammad Ayash, member secretary of the State Dialogue Forum, the newspaper reported