A Dhaka court on Sunday remanded four people, including Rashtra Sanglap Forum President ANM Ayas, in connection with an alleged attempt to deface graffiti depicting Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the capital.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam ordered three days of remand for Ayas and Sakibul Hasan, while Sujon Mia and Marzia Khandaker Rimi were remanded for two days each.
The court passed the orders after police produced the accused and sought 10 days of remand for Ayas, Additional Public Prosecutor Muhammad Shamsud Doha Sumon said.
Earlier in the day, police filed a case against the four with Shahbagh Police Station on charges including criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between classes and inciting religious hatred.
The accused were detained on October 10 over their alleged involvement in an attempt to deface graffiti painted on a wall opposite Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha, Dhaka.
According to the police forwarding report submitted to the court, the Dhaka South City Corporation had cleared the footpath alongside a Public Works Department boundary wall as part of its ongoing drive to evict hawkers. Graffiti depicting Bangladesh’s art, culture and literature were subsequently painted on the wall.
The report stated that Ayas announced on October 9 that he would erase the graffiti.
On October 10, Ayas and the other accused allegedly went to the site, where Marzia Khandaker Rimi smeared black ink over the graffiti depicting Tagore, the report alleged.
The investigating officer further alleged that the accused attempted to incite religious hatred in connection with the upcoming Durga Puja, potentially creating tensions over religious sentiments and disrupting communal harmony.
The allegations are under investigation, and the accused have not been convicted of the charges.