Attacks on sculptures: Looking back at previous incidents

In a surprise midnight move, the authorities concerned removed the statue of Lady Justice near the entrance of the Supreme Court on Thursday night, apparently  conceding to Islamist hardliners, including Qawmi Madrasa-based Islamist pressure group Hefazat-e-Islam, who had long been demanding removal of the statute from the court  premises. Sculptor Mrinal Haque was present at the site during the removal to ensure the statue was not damaged. Calling the move a slap in the face of progressive ideals in the country, he said: “The removal was too shocking.  I am feeling terrible.” However, it was not the first time the country saw a statute removed. Earlier, several other statues were either removed in the face of radicals’ demands or vandalised by zealots themselves because clerics are often heard saying the existence of what they call an idol goes against Islam’s strictures. Apart from the incident on Thursday, a Dhaka Tribune inquiry resulted in the finding of at least three such incidents, all of which took place in less than two decades.Balaka sculptureOn the night of November 28, 2008, several hundred people, led reportedly by an Islamist organisation called Anjuman-e Al Baiyinat, vandalised the 41-feet sculpture of Balaka that was installed at Motijheel in Dhaka in 1989. The vandals – all clad in Punjabi and caps – were also seen leafleting the area, asking people to join them in their move to remove all such sculptures from the country.Baul statuesOctober 15 in 2008, Roads and Highways Department and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh had to pull down five statutes of Baul (folk) singers, including of Lalon Shah, at the Dhaka airport intersection in the face of vehement pressure from fundamentalists. The statues were designed by eminent sculptor Mrinal Haque.Prajanma sculptureShobdokantha, a cultural organisation at Carmichael College in Rangpur, started constructing the Liberation War memorial sculpture Prajanma (generation) on the college campus in 1991. Its foundation stone was laid on August 5 in 1999 amid obstacles by Jamaat-e-Islami and its student front Islami Chhatra Shibir. But the Jamaat-Shibir men destroyed it on September 29 the same year. The sculpture was, however, rebuilt in 2010.