DHAKA, Apr 6: A mural of Indian poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore that was defaced with black ink by unknown perpetrators has been restored to its original condition and refurbished in the Kumarkhali division Bangladesh’s Kushtia district.
Furthermore, the legendary poet’s name was also fixed.
Tagore, who is venerated as a Bengali icon in both India and Bangladesh, had composed the country’s national anthem ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’, as well as the state anthem of West Bengal, ‘Banglar Ma i Banglar Jol’.
The defacing of the mural had caused massive outrage among netizens in both countries. Police have not identified the miscreants so far, according to Dhaka Tribune.
“We visited the site that same night after receiving the information. No written complaint has been filed so far,” said Md Solaiman Sheikh, officer-in-charge of Kumarkhali police station.
“The act may have taken place during the Eid holiday. The image and writing have now been restored. A thorough investigation will be conducted, and appropriate action will be taken,” said SM Mikail Islam, the nirbahi division officer.
As part of the restoration efforts, a team visited the site and an artist worked from noon until the afternoon on Friday, April 4, according to Vijay Kumar Joardar, assistant commissioner (Land) of the division.
The locals had also expressed concern that the mural had been neglected for some time, with faded paint and non-functional CCTV cameras, highlighting the lack of administrative oversight, which they believe contributed to the incident.
Liton Abbas, a local poet and writer, said “Erasing the ink alone isn’t enough. We need to uncover who did this and why. The real culprits must be identified and held accountable.” (UNI)
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