Administration demolishes parts of covered 'Liberation War mural’ in Lalmonirhat

The mural installed on the Liberation War Memorial stage next to the Shishu Park on Lalmonirhat’s BDR Road was covered with cloth beforehand.

This time, parts of it have been demolished at the behest of the district administration.

The workers were engaged in the work from morning until evening on Sunday.

A worker told bdnews24.com that they were working on the deputy commissioner’s instructions.

However, Lalmonirhat DC HM Rakib Haider did not respond to bdnews24.com’s calls.

Helal Kabir, convenor of a local voluntary organisation, told bdnews24.com: "The deputy commissioner has ordered the mural’s demolition. He had previously ordered it to be covered."

However, the mural was covered with a cloth on Independence Day.

Earlier, the mural was also shrouded similarly on Victory Day on Dec 16, 2024.

The freedom fighters then protested and expressed anger over the incident.

Later on Mar 27, the DC said that the mural had been covered up because it “was not in line with the spirit of the 2024 July Revolution”.

The sculptures and murals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Liberation War were knocked down across the country after the Awami League government’s fall in a mass uprising on Aug 5 last year.

The mural at Lalmonirhat depicted important historical events, including the 1952 Language Movement, Bangabandhu's March 7 speech, the Liberation War, the Mujibnagar government, the 1971 massacre, and the surrender of Pakistani forces.

Several images, including Bangabandhu's March 7 speech and the national memorial, have been erased from the mural.

The district administration covered the mural with cloth on Mar 26, Independence Day, which drew severe criticism locally.

Now that the mural has been demolished, the Conscious Citizens Committee has condemned the incident.

The organisation’s Lalmonirhat unit Coordinator Morshed Alam said: "We have protested the cover-up in the past. Now I heard the news of the mural being broken which is sad. We will officially protest over the incident."

Sammilita Sangskritik Forum General Secretary Sufi Mohammad said, "Three pictures of the 140-feet mural on the Liberation War Memorial have been demolished from the part featuring the 1952 Language Movement to the 1971 Liberation War. Now it is a matter of time which images will replace these three.

"There is no way to deny 1952 to 1971 and Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech."