Police detained ANM Ayas, a leader of Rashtra Sanglap Forum, on Saturday afternoon for allegedly attempting to deface a mural of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore outside Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital’s Segunbagicha area.
The incident occurred just five days after Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) cleared the footpath of encroachments and decorated an adjoining wall with portraits of 10 prominent figures from Bengali literature, art and culture.
Shahbag Police Station Sub-Inspector Abdul Khalek confirmed the detention, saying Ayas had been taken to the police station after attempting to erase Tagore’s portrait.
The incident comes amid criticism over the selection of cultural personalities featured in the murals, particularly the inclusion of figures from West Bengal and the absence of women.
According to reports, police intervened after an attempt was made to apply black or white paint to the portraits outside the academy.
The Daily Campus reported that three people, including Ayas, were detained in connection with the incident. Other reports initially confirmed only Ayas’s detention.
The Daily Campus also described Ayas as president of Rashtra Sanglap Forum, while other outlets identified him as its member secretary.
On October 5, DSCC reopened the Segunbagicha footpath following an operation to remove encroachments.
As part of the renovation, portraits of 10 cultural figures were painted on a roadside wall near Shilpakala Academy.
They included Rabindranath Tagore, national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, filmmaker Satyajit Ray, philosopher and social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Fakir Lalon Shah, artist SM Sultan, filmmaker Zahir Raihan, folk singer Shah Abdul Karim and actor Humayun Faridi.
The project also included new dustbins, benches for pedestrians and repairs to the boundary wall.
The newly renovated stretch was opened to pedestrians after the removal of makeshift shops and other obstructions.
It was not immediately clear whether any formal case had been filed or what further legal action police intended to take.