DHAKA — A court in Dhaka has ordered the detention of two people, including Al Nur Mohammad Ayash, president of the State Dialogue Forum, in a case filed over an attempt to erase a mural of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore outside the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The other accused is Marzia Khandaker Rimi.
Police produced the two accused before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Tuesday after completing their remand. The investigating officer sought to keep them in custody until the investigation is completed, while their lawyers filed bail petitions. After hearing both sides, Metropolitan Magistrate Riyad Hasan rejected their bail applications and ordered that they be sent to jail.
On October 11, an additional chief metropolitan magistrate in Dhaka, Joshita Islam, had granted three days of remand for Ayash and two days for Rimi. The incident took place on October 10, when a group of young people allegedly attempted to erase Tagore’s mural on a wall outside the Shilpakala Academy. A confrontation reportedly broke out between the group and police after officers intervened to stop them.
A woman was seen applying black ink to the mural, according to the account of the incident. A police officer intervened to prevent her from doing so. Following the incident, Shahbagh Police Station Sub-Inspector Ziaul Haque filed a case alleging criminal conspiracy, the promotion of enmity between different groups, and hurting religious sentiments. The court’s decision to deny bail means the two accused will remain in jail while the investigation proceeds.
