Police in Dhaka have formally shown four people as arrested in a case involving the defacement of a mural of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on a wall outside the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha. The case includes allegations of anti-state activities, attempts to undermine religious harmony and provocative statements.
Sheikh Zahidul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of the Ramna Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), confirmed the development on Sunday, 11 October. The four individuals are ANM Ayas, 29, Md Sakibul Hasan, 19, Md Sujon Mia, 18, and Marzia Khandaker Rimi, 27. Shahbagh Police Station officers had detained them on Saturday, 10 October, in connection with the incident.
According to the deputy commissioner, a case was filed over alleged anti-state activities, with the other allegations also included in the complaint. Shahbagh Police Station filed the case as the complainant. Police have not provided further details about the investigation or publicly established the circumstances surrounding the alleged defacement.
The case has brought renewed attention to the protection of public artworks and the place of cultural figures in Bangladesh’s public spaces. However, the allegations against the four individuals remain subject to investigation and the judicial process.
Murals Celebrate Bangladesh’s Cultural Heritage
The incident took place at the boundary wall of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, where murals depicting prominent figures from the country’s literary, artistic and cultural history have recently been created.
The artworks feature a range of influential personalities whose contributions span literature, music, painting, cinema and folk traditions. Alongside Tagore, the murals include those of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, celebrated painter Zainul Abedin and Baul mystic Fakir Lalon Shah.
Other figures represented include filmmaker Satyajit Ray, painter SM Sultan, educationist and social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, writer and film director Zahir Raihan, Baul singer Shah Abdul Karim, actor Humayun Faridi and musician Sanjeeb Chowdhury.
Together, these personalities represent different strands of the cultural heritage shared across Bangladesh and the wider Bengali-speaking world. Their work has influenced generations of readers, musicians, artists and audiences, making their presence in public art a way of bringing cultural history into everyday urban life.
Murals in public spaces can also make artistic expression more accessible to people who may not regularly visit galleries or cultural institutions. Their visibility, however, means that maintaining and protecting them can be an important consideration for the authorities responsible for public infrastructure.
Public Amenities Added Alongside the Artwork
The initiative at the academy’s boundary wall was not limited to the murals. Benches were installed along the pavement to give pedestrians a place to rest, while bins were provided to help keep the area clean.
The project was inaugurated on 5 October by Abdus Salam, administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), following the completion of the work. It combined cultural beautification with modest improvements to facilities for people using the pavement.
The alleged defacement of Tagore’s mural has consequently drawn attention to the preservation of such public initiatives. The incident also raises broader questions about how public artworks can be maintained as shared cultural assets, particularly when they depict figures whose influence extends beyond a single artistic discipline.
For now, the police case remains the central development in the matter. Although the four individuals have been formally shown as arrested, the allegations against them have not been established as proven offences. Their responsibility, if any, will have to be determined through the applicable legal process, in which they retain the right to defend themselves.
