Demolition of Monument Honouring War Hero Suspended After Outcry

The Jhenaidah district administration has suspended the dismantling of the Bir Shreshtha Hamidur Rahman monument and sculpture, positioned at the entrance of the district town. The decision follows intense public concern and subsequent media coverage regarding the unauthorised demolition of the memorial dedicated to one of the nation’s highest decorated military heroes.

Work to tear down the square began on 13 July, proceeding in broad daylight for days without any clear official oversight. Labourers systematically dismantled parts of the structure until 17 July, while various government departments failed to launch an immediate inquiry into who ordered the destruction or why it was being carried out. The demolition was finally halted on Saturday, following an investigative report published in the media on 16 July.

Official Accountability and Regulatory Confusion

The incident has highlighted a startling lack of institutional coordination and awareness among local authorities. The Deputy Commissioner of Jhenaidah, Mohammad Noman Hossain, admitted that he was entirely unaware of the monument’s historical significance prior to the media reports. He noted that the abstract design of the sculpture made it difficult to identify its subject by appearance alone. According to the Deputy Commissioner, initial construction of the square had previously been halted due to local objections, but upon learning that the monument honoured Bir Shreshtha Hamidur Rahman, he immediately ordered the demolition to be suspended.

Avoiding further comments on past administrative oversights, the Deputy Commissioner emphasised that Hamidur Rahman remains the proudest son of Jhenaidah and a national icon. A policy decision has now been reached to construct a full-length sculpture of the war hero at an appropriate location, following comprehensive consultations with freedom fighters, civil society members, and citizens.

The Jhenaidah Roads and Highways Department expressed complete ignorance regarding the initial removal process. Executive Engineer Mohammad Hafizur Rahman stated that no agency had contacted his office before the demolition began. He clarified that the Jhenaidah Zilla Parishad and the local municipality had jointly decided to establish the square at the intersection in 2019. However, the site now falls directly within the alignment of the ongoing Jhenaidah-Jessore highway expansion project. Meanwhile, the Jhenaidah Municipality has denied any involvement in the demolition, with Acting Executive Engineer Mohammad Rashed Ali Khan confirming the suspension of work while acknowledging that the identities of those who initiated the dismantling remain unknown.

Family Demands Restitution and Dignity

The family of the Bir Shreshtha has expressed deep distress over the treatment of the memorial. Hafizur Rahman, the nephew of Hamidur Rahman, recalled that the municipality had formally invited the family to the foundation stone-laying ceremony on Independence Day, 26 March 2019. The monument, located near the Jhenaidah Central Bus Terminal on the Jhenaidah-Dhaka highway, originally featured an abstract bust of Hamidur Rahman, the national flag of Bangladesh, and a concrete sculpture of a clenched fist symbolising the Liberation War.

The family views the sudden dismantling as an act of destruction against a sacred national legacy. They have urged the government to restore the sculpture with proper architectural dignity and reinstate it at the original location. While local residents noted that the height of the incomplete structure had previously created traffic hazards at the four-way intersection—leading to the suspension of its original construction—the consensus remains that the memory of the nation’s finest valiant fighter must be preserved with the highest institutional respect.