Fair stall ropes tied around necks of 7 Bir Srestho sculptures in Tangail
An incident has occurred at Shaheed Smrity Pouro Udyan in Tangail, where ropes from fair stalls organised by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) were tied around the necks of the sculptures of the seven Bir Sreshthos.
On Sunday night, the final day of the fair, an image showing ropes tied around the sculptures’ necks spread widely on the social media platform Facebook.
Following this, many users shared the image and expressed condemnation and outrage.
According to local sources, BSCIC organised the fair for small entrepreneurs, and stalls were constructed throughout Shaheed Smrity Pouro Udyan.
Stalls were also set up in front of the sculptures of the seven Bir Sreshthos located within the park. On 24 April, State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku inaugurated the fair.
On the final day, Sunday, an image circulated on Facebook showing that ropes used to support the stalls built in front of the sculptures had been tied around the necks of the statues.
After the image spread on social media, widespread criticism followed. A Facebook user named Al Amin Khan wrote, “A fair’s rope around the necks of heroes! Is this shame only for the people of Tangail?”
Mir Nasimul Islam, former general secretary of the Tangail District Unit of Udichi, wrote, “Look at the image—ropes from fair stalls tied around the necks of the Bir Sreshtho sculptures. Clothes are hanging from those ropes, and there is a pile of waste nearby. This is not merely mismanagement; it is an insult to history. Those who gave their lives for the country’s independence—we are tying ropes around their necks.”
Al Amin, a leader of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, wrote on Facebook, “Those whose blood secured this country’s independence—today ropes are tied around their necks for the sake of business at a fair. Have the fair authorities and the administration lost all awareness?”
Many individuals expressed anger over the incident and demanded punishment for those responsible.
Shamsul Huda, a senior educator and former principal of Government MM Ali College, stated that constructing stalls in a way that obscures the sculptures of the Bir Sreshtho is inappropriate.
He added that tying stall ropes around the necks of the sculptures is condemnable and urged the relevant authorities to remain vigilant to prevent such incidents in the future.
When asked for comment, Shahnaz Begum, assistant general manager of BSCIC in Tangail, told Prothom Alo that she was unaware of who carried out the act after nine days of the fair.
She added that the ropes were removed immediately after the matter came to the attention of BSCIC.