Khulna City Corporation (KCC) has begun repainting a mural of Rabindranath Tagore on a railway station wall along Jessore Road in the city after it was defaced with black ink on Friday.
The repainting work began on Saturday afternoon, said KCC Administrator Nazrul Islam Manju.
Earlier in the day, the KCC administrator inspected the defaced mural at Shibbari intersection.
Condemning the incident, he said smearing ink on the portrait of Rabindranath Tagore was an act of disrespect and malice.
He said action would be taken against those responsible for the incident.
While everyone is entitled to their personal views, their expression should not involve disrespecting others, creating public unrest or inciting hatred, he said.
"Erasing an image does not negate the person it represents," he remarked, urging everyone to remain vigilant against attempts to target works of art out of political vendetta.
Lokman Hossain, officer-in-charge of Khulna Sadar Police Station, said it was not immediately clear who had defaced the mural or when the incident occurred, as businesses on the opposite side of the road were closed on Friday.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident, he added.
The defacement came to light on Friday afternoon when local residents noticed that black ink had been smeared over Tagore's face in the mural. Two posters bearing the headline "Opposition to the establishment of Dhaka University" had also been put up on either side of the portrait.
As part of a KCC initiative to beautify the city ahead of a visit by Tarique Rahman, murals of eminent national figures were painted on walls at different locations across Khulna.
The murals feature portraits of world-renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore, National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, martyred President Ziaur Rahman and poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt.
They also depict the history, heritage and culture of Khulna.
