Miscreants have defaced a mural of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on the boundary wall of Khulna Railway Station with black ink, sparking condemnation and anger among local residents.
The incident came to light on Friday. The mural is painted on the station’s boundary wall along the road from Shibbari to Khulna Railway Station.
Khulna City Corporation (KCC) commissioned the artwork ahead of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Khulna. The murals depict the July Uprising, the Sundarbans, the Sixty Dome Mosque and the jute industry, alongside portraits of eminent figures such as Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam, who made significant contributions to the region’s art, literature and culture.
During a visit to the site, this correspondent found portraits of Fakir Lalon Shah, painter SM Sultan, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, former president Ziaur Rahman and Michael Madhusudan Dutta on the wall. Of the portraits, only Tagore’s had been defaced with black ink.
Sazzad Hossain, an employee of a nearby shop, told The Daily Star that he noticed the defacement on Friday morning.
“It was not like this yesterday [Thursday]. I suspect someone did it under the cover of darkness on Thursday night,” he said.
Shariful Islam Salim, a cultural activist and general secretary of Nattyalok, said he believed the incident was the work 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,” he said.
He said Tagore’s literature and philosophy had inspired generations to embrace free thought, secularism and human dignity.
“Some young people are being misled into engaging in such disgraceful acts,” he added.
Describing Tagore as an inseparable part of Bengali identity and a source of inspiration, Salim called on people from all walks of life to unite against those responsible.
Lokman Hossain, officer-in-charge of Khulna Sadar Police Station, said those responsible for the incident had yet to be identified.
He said police had visited the scene and were investigating the matter.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/crime-justice/news/rabindranath-tagore-mural-defaced-black-ink-khulna-railway-station-4317251
