Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Administrator Nazrul Islam Manju has condemned the defacement of a mural of Rabindranath Tagore on a railway station wall along Jessore Road in Khulna city, describing the act as disrespectful and driven by hatred.
After inspecting the defaced mural on Saturday afternoon, Manju announced that the KCC would repaint the portrait. He also said police had launched an investigation to identify those responsible.
The KCC administrator said murals depicting Khulna’s heritage, development and prominent national figures had been painted on walls ahead of the prime minister’s visit to the city. One of the murals featured Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore.
“Smearing black ink on the portrait seems like an act of brutality to us. It is an insult to a world-renowned poet. Such acts should be avoided. Erasing a portrait does not mean one can deny a person’s existence,” he said.
“We are working to build a clean and beautiful Khulna, but this incident has sparked widespread outrage,” he added.
Manju said the authorities had asked police to identify those involved and take legal action against them.
“We want to ensure that no one engages in such acts again. Police patrols will be strengthened to protect the murals from further defacement,” he said.
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.
Local cultural activists expressed outrage over the incident.
Assistant Commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police (Khulna Zone) Shafiqul Islam said, ‘police have been investigating the incident’.
“Those found involved in the incident will be brought to justice,” he said.
