Why are the cultural symbols being attacked?

In late 2016, a sculpture named The Lady Justice, clad in Bangladeshi saree, blindfolded and holding scales, was placed in the eastern side of the Supreme Court's main building. Soon, it sparked controversy as religious hardliners, particularly Hefazat-e-Islam, labelled the sculpture an "idol" and launched a vigorous campaign to have it removed.

In a surprising move, Bangladesh's then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was widely known to the Western world as a defender of the country against Islamic fundamentalism, invited top Islamist leaders to her residence and later conceded to their demands in 2017, calling the sculpture "ridiculous." 

Civil society organisations at the time criticised the authorities for yielding to Islamist pressure, accusing Hasina of trying to court religious voters ahead of a general election scheduled for the following year.

The sculpture, modelled after the Greek Goddess Themis and made by Mrinal Haque, was later reinstalled, but at a different location in front of the Annex Building of the Supreme Court. 

In the following years, the incitement to vandalise sculptures across the country grew, with police reportedly claiming that the speeches of Hefazat-e-Islam's Mamunul Haque and Islami Andolon Bangladesh's Sayed Mohammad Faizul Karim played a significant role in inspiring these acts. In 2020, supporters of Hefazat-e-Islam even launched a brief movement against sculptures.

While The Lady Justice remained untouched during those times, following Sheikh Hasina's fall on 5 August in a stunning turn of events, a group of people pulled down the sculpture on the Supreme Court premises by tying a rope to it. The next morning, the arms of the steel sculpture and the hand holding the scales were found to be vandalised.

It is one of many cultural or historical icons that have fallen victim to the wrath of unidentified angry mobs since Hasina's ousting from office.

"The symbolic significance of a sculpture or statue is immense. They hold the history of a huge event or time. So by attacking them, they actually want to erase that history, just as they want to suppress historical documents, libraries, cinemas and other cultural elements."

Mamunur Rashid, actor and theatre personality

While the list includes numerous symbols and artefacts related to Hasina, her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and their political party, the Bangladesh Awami League, many other culturally and historically significant landmarks have also been targeted.

For example, the mobs vandalised the Shadhinata Sangram sculptures at Fuller Road and the Madhusudan De Smriti Bhashkarjo in front of Madhur Canteen on the Dhaka University campus, as well as the sculpture of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin and the 144-year-old Venus sculpture in front of Shashi Lodge in Mymensingh. They also targeted the Mujibnagar Liberation War Memorial Complex in Meherpur.

Some other culturally significant establishments met with a similar fate. The 135-year-old Maharaja Bir Chandra Library in Cumilla, which housed over 5,000 books, including rare and ancient texts, was attacked, and the books and documents were then set on fire by vandals. The Star Cineplex's Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park branch in Rajshahi and the Roots Cineclub in Sirajganj were also vandalised.

These incidents could easily be dismissed as isolated events, attributed to mobs acting in the heat of the moment. However, that approach would overlook the reality that the causes behind these unfortunate events are deeply rooted and, in some cases, politically motivated as well.

Despite being cloaked in the guise of progressivism for the better part of this century, Bangladesh has been entrenched in a fascist system that has cultivated a hostile environment towards art, culture, and intellectualism. As mentioned earlier, Hasina's government also occasionally welcomed such sentiments when it served her interests. 

This reality, long suppressed, is now coming to light. And it should come as no surprise that both the Awami League and Islamist fundamentalists represent two sides of the same coin.

Mohammad Nazimuddin, popular author and publisher, pointed out that similar historical uprisings and revolutions have often led to periods of anarchy.

"People's accumulated grievances erupt simultaneously, like an explosion. Even in Sri Lanka, a country with a high literacy rate, such a situation occurred," he said. 

He added that it was not just extremists and religious fanatics involved in these chaotic events, which quickly turned into mob actions; members of the Awami League were also implicated. With the police force effectively absent on the streets, these incidents could not be prevented.

"Defeated Awami League members mixed with religious fanatics in the crowd to clear themselves of suspicion. A member of the Chhatra League admitted this to me personally," Nazimuddin said. 

Mamunur Rashid, a renowned actor and theatre personality, said that the attempt to destroy Bangladesh's culture is nothing new. Such efforts have been ongoing for a long time. Incidents like the Udichi attack in Jashore and the attack at Ramna Batamul have occurred in the country, but justice was not served, allowing this mentality to persist unchecked.

Reminding that during the Second World War in Germany and during the US aggression in Iraq, various libraries and cultural institutions were attacked and attempts were made to destroy cultural heritage, he said that a similar attempt exists in Bangladesh. 

"The symbolic significance of a sculpture or statue is immense. They hold the history of a huge event or time. So by attacking them, they actually want to erase that history, just as they want to suppress historical documents, libraries, cinemas and other cultural elements."

He also called for a thorough investigation and justice for these events, regardless of who was involved.

According to him, since there has been a breakdown of law and order in the country over the past few days, the true nature of some people has now come out. If law and order are restored, things might appear normal again on the surface. But this issue has been ongoing for a long time and will likely continue. 

"They may explode again from time to time whenever the opportunity arises, unless proper measures are taken against the culprits," he said.

Mamunur Rashid, however, was optimistic that under the leadership of the new chief adviser of the interim government, Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, who is widely respected globally, "Bangladesh will return to the right track and uphold its secular identity and become a safe haven for everyone willing to engage in art, culture, and intellectual pursuits."