Archive · 11 Oct 2026
Tagore Mural Defaced in Dhaka; Police Detain Four
Someone put black ink on a new wall painting of Rabindranath Tagore in Dhaka.
The painting is outside the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Videos showed a woman putting ink on it, and a police officer stopped her.
Police detained four people, including the woman, and took them to the Detective Branch for questioning.
The woman first said she did it as a protest against Tagore.
Later, she said she had been unwell and had come to attend a regular protest.
The mural was one of several portraits of cultural figures, a project that had drawn criticism about who was included.
The incident happened before Durga Puja.
Police have not determined whether it was part of a plan to cause unrest.
Black ink was smeared on a newly painted Rabindranath Tagore mural outside the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha area.
Police detained four people, including a woman and Rashtra Sanglap Forum member secretary ANM Ayas, for questioning.
Videos circulating online showed a woman applying ink to the mural before a police officer intervened; the detainees were later questioned by the Detective Branch.
The woman initially described the defacement as a protest against Tagore, then gave a different account involving illness and attending a regular protest programme.
The incident came amid criticism of the mural project’s selection of cultural figures and ahead of Durga Puja; police have not established a link to planned unrest.
- Who
- Police detained four people, including a woman and Rashtra Sanglap Forum member secretary ANM Ayas; the mural depicted Rabindranath Tagore.
- What
- Black ink was used to deface the mural, and police are questioning four detainees.
- When
- Saturday, five days after the renovated footpath reopened on October 5 and ahead of Durga Puja, which begins October 16.
- Where
- Outside the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- Why
- The woman described the act as protest and later gave another explanation; police have not established whether it was linked to planned unrest.
Claims and criticism
Investigation and uncertainty
Reason for defacing the mural
Claims and criticism
The woman initially said she defaced Tagore’s portrait in protest, claiming he opposed the establishment of the University of Dhaka and was against Bangladesh. She later said she had been unwell and had come to attend a regular protest programme.
Investigation and uncertainty
Police are questioning four detainees and have not established the motive or whether the act was connected to planned unrest.
Selection of cultural figures
Claims and criticism
Criticism of the mural project included objections to the inclusion of figures from West Bengal and the absence of women.
Investigation and uncertainty
The project featured portraits of 10 figures associated with Bengali literature, cinema, music and art; the reports do not provide a response from the project organizers to the criticism.
- People detained
- Four, including a woman and ANM Ayas
- Artwork
- A newly painted mural of Rabindranath Tagore
- Defacement
- Black ink was applied to the mural
- Location
- Outside the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Segunbagicha, Dhaka
- Investigation
- The detainees were transferred to the Detective Branch for questioning
- Mural project
- Portraits of 10 cultural figures were included in a renovated footpath project
- Festival timing
- The incident preceded Durga Puja, which begins October 16 in Bangladesh
- Police assessment
- Police have not established whether the act was linked to a wider attempt to provoke unrest
