The Rajshahi Homeopathic Medical College authorities neglected to preserve the ancestral home of legendary filmmaker Ritwik Kumar Ghatak, according to an investigation.
The district administration’s investigation officer mentioned this in their report after the home was destroyed recently.
The Additional District Commissioner (Education and ICT) of Rajshahi, Mahinul Hasan, submitted his investigation report to District Commissioner Shamim Ahmed on Thursday.
The report also has three recommendations, including suggesting that the land where Ritwik's ancestral home stood be transferred to the Ritwik Ghatak Film Society.
Ritwik Ghatak spent his childhood, adolescence, and youth in this ancestral home in the Miapara area of Rajshahi city.
In 1989, the then-Ershad government leased 34% of the land to Rajshahi Homeopathic Medical College. Since then, a building for the college has been constructed on the northern part of the land.
The old house associated with Ritwik Ghatak's memories stood on the southern part of this building. It is alleged that the college authorities had long been trying to remove the house to make way for other constructions.
Amid the nationwide unrest, the last remnants of Ritwik’s memory were destroyed on August 6 and 7.
On August 14, upon hearing the incident, members of the Ritwik Ghatak Film Society rushed to the place and accused the college authorities of demolishing the house. Following their complaint, the district commissioner initiated an investigation.
The probe report said the college's night guard, Mahfuzur Rahman, was present at the scene when some miscreants attacked the house. However, he claimed not to recognize anyone.
“After Principal Dr Anisur Rahman was informed about the incident by phone, he went to the site and found that the people demolishing the building had already left. The principal also claimed he could not identify anyone. The college’s CCTV cameras were off from 12:47pm on August 6, making it impossible to identify those involved,” the report adds.
The report further mentions: “To restore normal academic and administrative activities, the principal instructed a mason, Shamim Mia, to clean up the debris of the demolished building on August 7. Following the instructions, the mason, along with six laborers, piled the broken bricks and debris in one place. When pulling the hanging tin, the remaining walls of the building began to collapse. Subsequently, the workers left a three-foot wall on one side and piled the rest.
“There was no visible initiative to preserve the remaining part of Ritwik Ghatak’s ancestral home. Instead, the remaining portion was demolished and piled up due to perceived risks, proving the college authorities’ neglect in preserving Ritwik Ghatak’s memory.”
The report also mentioned the ongoing conflict between the Ritwik Ghatak Film Society and the college authorities over the land.
In the recommendations, the investigation officer suggested that since Ritwik Ghatak is a highly esteemed personality for Rajshahi and Bangladesh, it is everyone’s responsibility to introduce this personality to the younger generation and preserve his memory. Therefore, it is recommended that the Rajshahi Homeopathic Medical College take the necessary steps to transfer the ownership of the memory-laden place inside the college to the Ritwik Ghatak Film Society.
He further stated that until permanent ownership is obtained, the college authorities should ensure the preservation of the land, allowing the film society to use it without obstruction.
Rajshahi District Commissioner Shamim Ahmed said that he has received the investigation report and will take necessary actions based on the recommendations.
