By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 6: The rioters in Bangladesh torched the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in Dhaka and destroyed a memorial dedicated to U Tirot Sing that was placed at the entrance of the building.
The memorial was inaugurated on February 16 as part of the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The bust of U Tirot Sing, the freedom fighter and braveheart of Khasi Hills, was also unveiled the same day.
Media reports said the rioters on Monday damaged the IGCC and the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, located at the Dhanmondi area of the Bangladesh capital.
The museum was dedicated to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who was assassinated in 1975 while he was serving as the President of the neighbouring country.
Images and video clips of the carnage are doing the rounds on social media.
The Meghalaya government has decided to lodge a protest with the Bangladesh government once the situation there stabilises.
Arts and Culture Minister Paul Lyngdoh told The Shillong Times that the state government will explore the idea of reinstalling the bust in the neighbouring country.
Stating that the situation in Bangladesh is concerning and indicative of anti-India forces gaining ground, he said Meghalaya has always accommodated Bangladeshis who come for studies.
“This is a sad reflection of how things have gone wrong,” Lyngdoh said, adding that nothing is permanent and the government is hopeful better sense will prevail once there is a change of regime in the country.
He said the state government will not give up on the idea of reinstalling the bust as U Tirot Singh is not only a hero of Meghalaya but an international figure.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma condemned the vandalisation of the bust of U Tirot Sing Syiem and urged the Bangladesh administration to take proper steps to avoid any such incident in the coming days.
Taking to X, Sangma said, “I strongly condemn the vandalisation of the bust of U Tirot Sing Syiem, the braveheart of Khasi Hills and a freedom fighter from Meghalaya, at the Indian Cultural Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Urge local authorities to take corrective measures to avoid further escalation.”
The state BJP condemned the attack and said the memory of a hero was insulted. The party said the incident also hurt the sentiments of all communities of Meghalaya and the nation.
“The images coming out of Bangladesh should shock any civilised person, anywhere in the world. The vandalism of U Tirot Sing’s memorial, as well as the attack on minorities and their places of worship in Bangladesh are unacceptable and have left all of us in utter dismay. We pray that right sense prevails and peace returns immediately,” said BJP chief spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang.
He said the party has appealed to the central government to take up the matter with whoever is in charge of Bangladesh now to ensure the protection of such memorials and bring an end to the violence.