Attempt to deface Tagore’s graffiti: Ayas, Rimi sent to jail after remand

A Dhaka court today (14 October) sent ANM Ayas, member secretary of the State Dialogue Forum, and Marzia Khandaker Rimi to jail after they completed their remand in a case over an attempt to deface a graffiti portrait of Rabindranath Tagore on a wall outside Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital’s Segunbagicha.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Riad Hasan passed the order after rejecting their bail petitions, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqi confirmed.

The case involves allegations of criminal conspiracy, spreading hatred and hurting religious sentiments.

Earlier in the day, the two accused were produced before the court after completing their remand. Investigation officer Abdul Gaffar Himel, a sub-inspector of Shahbagh Police Station, sought their detention in jail until the investigation was completed.

In his application, the investigation officer said the accused had provided important information during remand and that it was being verified. He also said the information could help investigators identify other accused who remain at large, adding that the two might need to be taken into police custody again for further questioning.

Defence lawyer Monir Hossain Sumon sought bail for the two, arguing that the charges against them did not warrant their continued detention. He also said Ayas was ill and requested bail on any conditions set by the court.

Opposing the petitions, Public Prosecutor Faruqi alleged that Ayas had made provocative remarks concerning Pakistan and Muhammad Ali Jinnah and that the group sought to create divisions by bringing India and Pakistan into the debate. He also alleged that the attempt to deface the graffiti was intended to provoke the Hindu community.

During the prosecution’s arguments, defence lawyer Al Mohsin Touhid objected to Faruqi’s remarks. Several prosecution lawyers then confronted the defence lawyers, and the situation escalated into a physical altercation. According to accounts of the hearing, lawyers struck Touhid and tore his shirt, prompting others to intervene.

The magistrate left the courtroom amid the disorder. Shouting and commotion continued for several minutes before Faruqi and defence lawyer Sumon helped restore order.

While standing in the dock, Ayas was heard asking Faruqi for forgiveness and pleading with the lawyers not to ruin his life through the altercation.

The magistrate returned to the bench shortly afterwards and rejected the bail petitions, ordering the two to be sent to jail. They were then escorted from the court under tight police security.

On 13 October, two other accused in the case, Sakibul Hasan and Sujon Mia, were sent to jail after completing their remand.

On 11 October, the court had granted two days of remand for Rimi and Sujon and three days for Ayas and Sakibul Hasan.

The case stems from an incident on 10 October, when Ayas and a group of young people went to erase a graffiti portrait of Tagore painted on a wall outside Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha. Police intervened, and four people, including Ayas, were detained following an altercation.

A video of the incident circulating on social media shows a woman applying ink to Tagore’s portrait before a police officer intervenes to stop her. In the video, the woman is heard saying that they had gathered to protest “Indian aggression”. The group is also heard chanting slogans under Ayas’s leadership.

The portraits of Tagore, National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, artist Zainul Abedin, filmmaker Satyajit Ray, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and five other prominent figures from art, literature and culture were painted on a wall beside the footpath after Dhaka South City Corporation cleared the area of encroachment on 5 October.

On 9 October, a Facebook page named July Revolutionary Alliance questioned the inclusion of figures such as Satyajit Ray and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, describing them as cultural figures from West Bengal. The following day, a group led by Ayas went to erase the portraits.