Tagore's legacy violated: Mob attacks ancestral home in Bangladesh

DHAKA: A mob attacked and vandalised Tagore’s ancestral home in Sirajganj district, Bangladesh, following a dispute over parking fees.

The incident took place at Rabindra Kachharibari, also known as the Rabindra Memorial Museum, prompting officials to establish a three-member investigating committee.

The conflict started on June 8, when a visitor and his family allegedly had a clash with a museum employee regarding a motorcycle parking fee.

The argument intensified, resulting in the visitor supposedly being restricted to an office and physically assaulted.

This argument provoked outrage among residents, leading to protests and a mob assault on the auditorium of the museum, during which damage was caused to the property and the institution’s director was reportedly attacked.

As a result of the outrage, Bangladesh temporarily postponed public access to Tagore’s ancestral home due to “inevitable situations.” The three-member investigating committee has been given the target to submit its findings within five working days.

Located in Shahzadpur, within the Rajshahi division, Tagore’s ancestral home is used both as the residence and revenue office of the Tagore family.

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore collected many of his literary works while residing in this mansion.

The incident has garnered extensive condemnation, with cultural and political leaders urging strict action against those responsible.

The protection of Bangladesh’s cultural heritage remains a sensitive issue, and authorities are facing increasing pressure to protect historical sites.

Fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina orchestrated a “systemic attack” to try to crush the uprising against her government, Bangladeshi prosecutors said at the opening of her trial on Sunday.

Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 when Hasina’s government launched its crackdown, according to the United Nations.

Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter to her ally India as the student-led uprising ended her 15-year rule, and she has defied an extradition order to return to Dhaka.