Investigation Ongoing as Authorities Probe Tagore Wall Defacement Before Durga Puja

In the early hours of Saturday, a wall featuring a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore was vandalized with a flood of black ink in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha area. The timing, just ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations, has heightened anxiety about potential disturbances during the festival.

Four individuals, including a woman, have been placed in police custody by the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Their identities have not been released as the probing continues.

The mural, located opposite the Bangladesh Crafts Academy, is a focal point for cultural visitors. Social media clips show a woman using a brush to spread ink over the artwork, after which a police officer intervened, leading to a brief altercation and the eventual arrest of the participants.

Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Zahidul Islam told reporters that the detentions are part of a comprehensive investigation and that the police are examining whether the act was a spontaneous outburst or an orchestrated provocation.

Earlier in the day, Shahbag police had already detained a senior member of the National Dialogue Forum and two others in connection with the same episode, indicating a wider sweep by authorities.

The woman behind the graffiti first claimed that Tagore had resisted the founding of Dhaka University, describing him as “against Bangladesh.” She later said she was unwell and had only joined a routine demonstration as a pretext for being in the area.

The Detective Branch continues to interrogate the four suspects, and the probe remains open as officials work to determine the motive behind the defacement.