Photo of shoes hanging from Bir Sreshtho Hamidur Rahman sculpture on Facebook, sparking outrage
A photograph showing shoes hanging from the sculpture of Bir Sreshtho Hamidur Rahman in Jhenaidah town spread on Facebook on Tuesday, triggering outrage among local residents and freedom fighters.
It is not known who hung the shoes from the sculpture. No eyewitness to the incident has been found either.
The sculpture stands at a square named after Bir Sreshtho Hamidur Rahman near the Central Bus Terminal, at the entrance to the town.
Bir Muktijoddha (freedom fighter) Mohammad Kamaluzzaman said he sent someone to remove the shoes after learning about the incident.
“I saw the matter on social media and sent a man named Shamim Hossain there. Shamim went there and removed the shoes,” he said.
Expressing outrage, Kamaluzzaman said, “This is extremely unfortunate. Further action will be taken over the matter.”
Several local businesspeople, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they noticed the shoes when they arrived to open their shops in the morning. Discussions and criticism began immediately, they said. Shortly afterwards, someone came and removed the shoes.
Several freedom fighters said Bir Sreshtho Hamidur Rahman is a source of pride for Jhenaidah and the entire country. He made history through his bravery and sacrifice during the Liberation War.
They noted that installations built in his honour had been vandalised in the past as well, and said Tuesday’s incident was also deeply regrettable and condemnable. They called for an investigation and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice swiftly.
Jhenaidah deputy commissioner Mohammad Noman Hossain said the administration had taken note of the incident and had already held a meeting over it.
“Police have started an investigation. Whoever is involved will be brought under the law,” he said.
The sculpture stands in the middle of the Jhenaidah-Dhaka highway. Its foundation stone was laid on 26 March 2017 by then Deputy Commissioner Saroj Kumar Nath and then municipal mayor Saidul Karim.
However, construction of the sculpture later stalled before it could be completed.
As the sculpture remained unfinished, it lay neglected for years, with rubbish often dumped on its pedestal. Following the fall of the government of the Awami League (whose activities have been banned in the country) on 5 August 2024, the sculpture was vandalised twice.
It was vandalised again in July, apparently with the intention of removing it, but no one claimed responsibility for the damage. The vandalism stopped after the issue was reported in the media.